Underpinning is the process of strengthening a building’s foundations to make it more stable. The process has been around for over a century and is used to strengthen homes and other buildings against damage from movements in the ground, such as subsidence or landslips.
The process involves lifting the building and supporting it with jacks while new foundations are laid underneath. The existing foundations are then replaced with new ones, which are made from concrete that can withstand more pressure than the original ones. The house will be lowered onto these new foundations after they have cured sufficiently. If you’re looking for underpinning in Irvine, there are a lot of things to consider.
Important factors to consider when underpinning
When you want to reinforce the foundations of your home, it is important to understand all of the factors that can affect the project. Here are some important things to consider when underpinning a house:
1. The type of foundation
If your home has a pier and beam foundation, slab on grade, or slab on grade with piers, the type of underpinning that you need will be different.
2. The height of the building
The higher up in elevation a building sits, typically the stronger it must be so that it can withstand gravity and pressure from above-ground forces.
3. The soil composition
Soil composition and quality play an important role in underpinning projects because different types of soils require different types of support systems.
4. The size of the structure is underpinned
Smaller structures are easier to underpin than large ones because they have fewer columns holding them up and thus less weight on one side than larger structures would have on one site alone.
5. The slope of the land surrounding your house
A steeply sloped hillside could cause problems for your home if not properly reinforced before construction begins or during repairs if it is under these conditions before repair work takes place at any point in time.
What are the types of underpinning techniques?
There are three types of underpinning techniques:
1. Shoring
Shoring is a temporary support system that is used to stabilize an existing foundation until it can be repaired or rebuilt. Shoring may consist of wooden planks, steel beams, steel plates, or concrete blocks. Shoring is typically used in cases where the foundation is still structurally sound but has shifted and tilted due to settling.
2. Piering
Piering uses pilings (posts) and footings to support a structure until the original foundation can be repaired or replaced. Piering can be used for both residential and commercial properties but is most common in older homes where the soil around the home has settled over time and caused the foundation to shift or tilt away from its original position.
3. Basement underpinning
Basement underpinning involves excavating at least one side of a basement wall down to bedrock (or below), then placing new footings under each side of the house so that it rests on solid ground instead of soft soil. This type of work is best suited for homes with basements that have settled significantly over time; however, it can also be performed on slab-on-grade foundations if there are no significant cracks present.
Dalinghaus Construction Inc
9891 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, California, 92618
Phone: (714) 475-7581