Are windows and doors no longer closing and opening properly? It is probably high time you require repair work to the property’s foundation.
Welcome to Underpinning, the leading traditional underpinning contractor in the Gold Coast, servicing all suburbs across South East Queensland and Brisbane. We boast of our attention to detail and experience, working with you to ensure you are well-informed at each stage of the underpinning process.
In Gold Coast, reactive soil often causes wide-scale foundation movement, eventually making walls lean and crack, causing floors to be uneven, and door frames to be out of alignment. Some minor cracks will self-stabilise, but continuous movements need the intervention of professionals.
The traditional process of underpinning used for strengthening ensures that your existing footings are solid and provides a permanent solution in securing your property for safety and stability. Our methods will give you much-needed peace of mind while protecting your most significant investment in life. Our team is ready to help whether you need residential or commercial underpinning services.
Underpinning is the process used to boost the bearing capacity of a foundation by constructing new, deeper footings below the existing ones to prevent further property movement. This involves excavating next to and below your home and installing steel or concrete to form far more substantial footings, also called traditional concrete underpins.
According to the recommendation of the structural engineer, screw piles can be installed deep into the ground to locate more stable soils needed to support the foundation. The soil in different areas varies, and sometimes Brisbane’s reactive soils require a more robust foundation to support the weight and redress the concrete slab. Subsidence of houses or the lowering of ground can also damage the foundations, necessitating repairs by underpinning specialists.
The work process for underpinning can extend the length and breadth of an existing foundation to improve a poor foundation. This aids in preventing house subsidence and establishes a solid base for supporting your foundation. When you have finished a foundation repair, you will likely need further wall repairs, as cracks in masonry walls usually cannot close completely.
The reason underpinning experts would suggest you repair your foundation is that the soil profile under your structure is not able to support the foundation satisfactorily. It resists the load of the structure, checks subsidence, and prevents cracks from appearing.
Symptoms such as cracked walls, uneven floors, or doors not lining up are all signs of foundation settlement. Structural underpinning helps prop and strengthen the foundation by underpinning concrete footings, repairing structural damages, and averting further problems.
Structural underpinning involves excavating under the original footings and pouring more concrete underneath, reinforced with steel to add strength. Once this new concrete is cured, typically within about five days, heavy-duty jacks are placed on top of the reinforced concrete in a manner that helps lift the entire structure so that cracks and voids can be closed up. Heavy-duty props are then applied to prevent further sagging or with added concrete along with steel reinforcement to make the repairs permanent and robust after the successful closure of cracks.
At Underpinning, we ensure that your property is safe, stable, and protected in the long run. Contact us today to learn more about our traditional underpinning services across Brisbane.
We begin by preparing the ground and excavating the foundations. The screw piles are located and screwed in place, then pile "headstock" is concreted.
The house is jacked to the desired height, and all foundation is concreted solid to this new level, locking it tight into the screw piles.
When concrete has set, we double-check house and foundation levels, remove all equipment, and clean the site. An exit meeting ensures that you are satisfied with the work carried out.
Your Trusted Partner in Foundation Repair
Underpinning has a proactive approach to the long-term problem of failing Sea Walls and Retaining Walls. We have researched, trialed, and invested heavily in providing the latest technologies in revetment wall repairs and believe our construction techniques will lead to a fresh cost-effective solution to this looming problem.
Contact our office for a complete run-down on our Proprietary Scanning, Anchoring, and Resin Systems.
