An Introduction to Piering

Photo Courtesy Grip-Tite Manufacturing
An Introduction
to Piering
Piering and foundation repair work is a great addition for many
waterproofing businesses. It can make the company more
marketable and create additional profits.
16
WATERPROOF!
and more profitable—that ever before.
Causes of Failure
Foundation repair experts say
foundation problems have been found
in virtually every type and age of home.
Older homes were built before computeraided design existed, and so sometime
feature inadequate foundations. Newer
homes are often built on marginal land
with insufficient bearing capacity, but
do not have the stronger foundations
to compensate. Slab-on-grade foundations are especially susceptible to
failure because they rely entirely on
the uppermost level of the ground for
support. In all, these experts say 75% to
85% of their foundation repair jobs are
due to inadequately designed basement
walls and footings.
A few commonalities exist, though.
Foundation failures are highest in areas
with expansive clay soils, where changing
moisture levels cause the soil to expand
and contract. Failures can also be caused
by vegetation (roots), plumbing leaks,
frost heaves, improper back filling,
erosion, and nearby construction.
Correctly diagnosing the cause of a
failing foundation takes a considerable
Helical piers work well in residential applications,
especially on steep lots or lightweight soils.
Photo Courtesy Foundation Stabilization
F
oundation repair work dovetails
nicely with many waterproofing
businesses. By offering more to
your customers, it not only makes the
company more marketable, but it also
creates additional profits.
“People just need to take off the
blinders and open their eyes to the
possibilities,” says Andre Lacroix,
president of StablWall Wall Bracing.
“Waterproofers who only waterproof
need to consider the structural repair
end of this industry.”
Some waterproofers already do a
limited amount of repair work; fixing
bowed basement walls or doing crack
injection are common examples. But
before cracks can be repaired, they
must be stabilized, which often requires
reinforcing the foundation the building
sits on.
Previous issues of this magazine
have dealt with repairing damage caused
by lateral stresses. (See for example,
Working with Carbon Fiber in the Fall
2010 issue online at www.waterproofmag.
com.)
This story deals with repairing
damage from vertical stresses. Over
the last two decades, new piering
methods have been developed that make
residential foundation repair easier—
or more “flights,” or wings that pulls the
pier into the soil. These wings keep the
pile in place after it is installed. Often the
hydraulic driver is attached to a backhoe
or skid-steer loader. Helical piers can be
used to support lightweight structures
like a porch or heavier ones like multistory buildings. However, they’re most
common on relatively lightweight
residential structures. Regardless, a
soils test should be performed by a
geotechnical engineer to determine the
size and length of the pier.
Because they are twisted into place,
helical piers cannot be pushed or pulled
out of position. They are especially
useful for hillside foundations under
stress from soil erosion.
Push Piers (Resistance Piers):
Typically made of steel, but sometimes of
concrete, these piers are pushed into the
ground by the weight of the structure.
GALVANIZED BRACKET
OUTSIDE PRESSURE DISTRIBUTED
amount of experience and knowledge.
If initial investigations lead you to
suspect the foundation or footing may
be failing, the first step is usually to get
some sort of Foundation Failure Report
that explains the extent of the problem.
This report is usually compiled by
a geotechnical engineer, and may also
involve a structural and/or mechanical
engineer as well. The report will detail
soil types under the structure, their loadbearing capacity, the load placed on the
foundation at different points, and so
forth. It may also include repair options.
In any case, the data in the report is
essential for calculating the feasibility of
the various repair options.
Note that because of the level of
complexity required to compile this
report, most engineers will charge a
fee. (Some will also charge a fee for the
preliminary inspection as well.) These
fees can range from $200 to over $1,000,
but can often be deducted from the price
of the job.
Types of Underpinning
If the cause of the foundation failure
is expansive soils, differential settling, or
erosion, underpinning may be the best
solution. Underpinning, also called
piering, is the process of installing a
system of vertical anchors underneath
the structure so that it’s weight is
supported by soils that are deeper and
more stable than those near the surface.
There are three major systems
commonly used among residential
repair contractors to underpin failing
foundations:
Drilled Piers: These concrete
piers are poured onsite. Basically, the
contractor drills holes down to the
weight-bearing soils, places reinforcing
steel in the hole, and then fills them
with concrete. The new concrete piers
are attached to the homes foundation to
prevent further settling.
Helical Piling: Helical piers are
made of steel and twisted into the ground
much like a corkscrew. Each pier has one
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Winter 2012
17
Installation
Photo Courtesy Lipe Brothers Construction
From the residential waterproofer’s
perspective, helical piers are often a
great first choice, since they’ll work
in just about any type of soil, and are
strong enough to support virtually any
home. Heavy equipment is not normally
needed; the contractor already has most
of the tools needed for their installation.
Finally, they can be installed in areas
with limited access, virtually year round,
more quickly and with a lower cost than
other methods.
18
WATERPROOF!
Both push piers (above) and helical piers (below) can be installed with
surprisingly little mess and disturbance, especially if the structure has no
basement.
Once the repair options have been
determined, the contractor can present
a fixed bid. As noted above, some will
discount the bid by the price of the
investigative report. As with any product
or service, price can vary widely. Keep
in mind that experienced labor is not
cheap, and the future of the structure
may depend on the talent and skills of
the contractor chosen to do the repair
work.
While it’s true that the footing must
be exposed everywhere a pier is installed
(typically about every 6-8 feet), the
science of underpinning has advanced
considerably in recent decades, and
modern piers can be installed with far
less mess than may be expected.
If the home is slab-on-grade, or has
only a stemwall, it may require just a few
shallow holes measuring about two feet
square. If there’s a basement, it typically
means digging an eight- or nine-foot
hole, cut back to OSHA’s regulations.
Most foundation contractors pride
themselves on being able to restore the
exterior—and landscaping of a home
to better-than-new condition. Usually
they will carefully excavate the failing
foundation just enough to drive the pier
and have room to attach the pier to the
structure. Often, they will replace the
shrubs, plants, mulch, sidewalks etc. that
were disturbed during pier installation.
They will also typically repair cracks in
the masonry as well as retooling caulk
joints that may need to be repaired.
Most, however, do not repair interior
damage such as cracked drywall.
After the piers have been installed,
the contractor should supply a report
detailing the location of all piers, the
depths each pier reached, and the
hydraulic resistance each encountered.
This is important data that should be
saved for the life of the structure.
n
Photo courtesy Foundation Stabilization Solutions
(Concrete push piers are commonly
called “segmented concrete pilings.”)
Some systems use hydraulics to drive
the pier deep into the ground, others
use the weight of the building itself. The
advantage of this method is that the
contractor doesn’t need to know exactly
how deep to push the piers. When the
weight of the house is insufficient to
drive the piers deeper, that’s evidence
they can support the home. One unique
advantage of push piers is that they can
be used to raise a structure, not merely
support it. Push piers are typically used
for heavier loads than helical piers can
support.
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