There are three major types of foundation repairs that are always used in residence or commercial property. The criteria of which foundation to use are based upon the age and style of the house as
According to Jeffery Ellison, who has seven years of experience in repair construction and works for two major foundation repair companies in Austin, Texas, the three advanced methods of foundation repair are concrete press piling, steel press piling and bellbottom piers. A Bellbottom pier is where you actually drill a hole in the ground, bell it at the bottom, pour concrete down in the hole, and then uses that to lift off of. "That is kind of an antiqued way that was done before the hydraulic depress tiling systems were invented," he says. For soft clay called Caliche, the method used is steel piling. The reason for using steel piling is that the concrete pilings are six inches in diameter and the steel pilings are less than three inches in diameter. They are so much narrower; they can push through the stiffer soils better than the concrete pilings can.
The steel pier method is considered the best in long lasting support. According to Granite Foundation Repair at granitefoundationrepair.com, the robust steel pier is driven into solid rock or a hard loading bearing strata at pressures of up to 10,000 PSI, and depths of as much as 60 feet. It typically takes one to three days to complete this foundation repair.
Pressed pilings are considered the fast, clean solution. The pre-cast piling is mated with a solid core of steel and concrete, according to Granite Foundation Repair. The pilings are hydraulically driven using an installation force of 5000 PSI. Due to soil mechanics of friction and compression, this system will attain support strength of twice its installation force within one month after installation. "The system consists of pressed concrete pilings topped with a pier cap, blocks and shims," the website states.
Another foundation repair that is economical is to drill or pour concrete piers. Holes are typically drilled to a depth of 9-12 feet below the surface, and then filled with reinforcing steel and concrete. Poured concrete is topped with concrete spacers and shims.
When starting your foundation, the best thing to do is hire a structural engineering firm. They will be the first to board test the soil to recommend which foundation would the best. Once they have tested the soil, the engineer can design a specific slab for the specific soil conditions. "A lot of people do not do this because they do not want to pay any extra cost," says Ellison. "It is usually between $300 to $800 to get an engineer involved on it, but that is money well spent for the homeowner." If a structural engineer checks the soil and recommends a foundation, then a homeowner will not have foundation problems in the future.
