O/T Slab jacking, Grout, Foam injection?

[T-TownDawgg]

Any experiences with these or any other concrete fixes? Got a price to replace. If any repair work gets to even half of that estimate, I will just remove, haul in crusher run, and repour.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I am in the biz (Polyurethane Concrete Lifting, Foundations, Etc.) You can DM me. Or post pictures on here.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

As a general rule of thumb, assuming we are talking driveway or flatwork, I would say anything that has settled less than 3" it's better to lift. Lots of variables on whether to lift or replace. I usually tell customers to think about replacing after 60% of replacement cost. Absolutely replace at 75%. 50% or less, well you are saving money... It's not a new kitchen whether you spend $3k repairing a driveway or $6k replace, it adds no real value to the house.

• Can you identify the likely cause of settlement and mitigate? Roots, gutter downspouts, compaction of fill dirt above sewer lines, irrigation leaks, and general fill dirt erosion are the most common causes.

• Is the concrete cracked up into small sections--even if it's hairline cracks, the physics of lifting will likely to cause pieces less than 3'x3' to lift independent of bigger pieces and it comes out like crap.

 

[sandwolf.sixpack]

Any experiences with these or any other concrete fixes? Got a price to replace. If any repair work gets to even half of that estimate, I will just remove, haul in crusher run, and repour.

If you go with one of the foam injection companies, Ram Jack, Structural Solutions, etc., be sure that they guarantee that what they do will lift the slab. A lot of those contracts stipulate that the product is not guaranteed to lift your foundation, but if you ask them about it, the sales guys will tell you that they have never seen it not lift one.....well that is complete ********, and you should tell them to 17 off.

A couple of years ago, my dad needed a corner of his house lifted and stabilized, so he had Structural Solutions (out of Jackson) come out and give him a quote. He noticed the clause in the contract saying that they couldn't guarantee that their pilings would lift the house, so he asked them about it, got fed the line about how it worked every time and he decided to risk it......well sure enough, the pilings wouldn't lift his foundation and he still had to pay because that was all spelled out in the contract.

If you are in the Jackson area (or really anywhere in central MS), I would recommend using Ewing & Ray for foundation repairs. They are legit and they stand by their work (I am a structural engineer and I have used them on a number of different jobs).

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

If you go with one of the foam injection companies, Ram Jack, Structural Solutions, etc., be sure that they guarantee that what they do will lift the slab. A lot of those contracts stipulate that the product is not guaranteed to lift your foundation, but if you ask them about it, the sales guys will tell you that they have never seen it not lift one.....well that is complete ********, and you should tell them to 17 off.

A couple of years ago, my dad needed a corner of his house lifted and stabilized, so he had Structural Solutions (out of Jackson) come out and give him a quote. He noticed the clause in the contract saying that they couldn't guarantee that their pilings would lift the house, so he asked them about it, got fed the line about how it worked every time and he decided to risk it......well sure enough, the pilings wouldn't lift his foundation and he still had to pay because that was all spelled out in the contract.

If you are in the Jackson area (or really anywhere in central MS), I would recommend using Ewing & Ray for foundation repairs. They are legit and they stand by their work (I am a structural engineer and I have used them on a number of different jobs).

Damnit. I hate it for your Dad. Must have been pressed pilings and couldn't find refusal or were to cheap to go that deep. I have seen hundreds of lifts and if you drive each pier to refusal and space every 6-9' per normal loading, it is absolutely impossible not to be able to lift. Now I have seen some cases where when you start to lift you need to stop because of damage. It doesn't sound like the case. Damn skin friction pilings should be illegal.

I would second your recommendation on Ewing and Ray. Anyone selling Chance helicals is doing it right.

Just curious, as an engineer how do you feel about helicals? Is that what you are recommending from this guys? I have a hard time getting the engineers in TX to believe. They love their poured concrete (bell bottom) pilings. I am okay with poured concrete if a geotechnical report accompanies it and gives me a definite depth, but that's not feasible for most home remediation work. I like the helical because there is no guessing. I can monitor my torque and know exactly what I can support. A steel pressed pier is great too, when we know there is load bearing strata within 30' or so... I just think poured concrete, bell bottom or not, relies on skin friction too often. It's better than pressed concrete garbage, but not the best.

I have seen I would guess 250 homes that have foundation issues and had previously installed piers. I have yet to see one that used steel (helical or pressed). 75% are pressed concrete and 25% are bell bottom pours.

What say you sandwolf... Are my TX engineers stuck in the past or used to commercial work?

 

[sandwolf.sixpack]

Damnit. I hate it for your Dad. Must have been pressed pilings and couldn't find refusal or were to cheap to go that deep. I have seen hundreds of lifts and if you drive each pier to refusal and space every 6-9' per normal loading, it is absolutely impossible not to be able to lift. Now I have seen some cases where when you start to lift you need to stop because of damage. It doesn't sound like the case. Damn skin friction pilings should be illegal.

They used some type of helical and installed it to the appropriate depth. Then they had some type of hydraulic lift that is supposed to lift the foundation before they lock the support brackets in place (I wasn't there so I didn't see the exact setup), but the lift wasn't strong enough to lift the foundation. At the end of the day, they didn't do what he hired them to do and they used an out in the fine print of the contract to make him pay anyway. So I will take every opportunity to warn people against using them.

I would second your recommendation on Ewing and Ray. Anyone selling Chance helicals is doing it right.

Just curious, as an engineer how do you feel about helicals? Is that what you are recommending from this guys? I have a hard time getting the engineers in TX to believe. They love their poured concrete (bell bottom) pilings. I am okay with poured concrete if a geotechnical report accompanies it and gives me a definite depth, but that's not feasible for most home remediation work. I like the helical because there is no guessing. I can monitor my torque and know exactly what I can support. A steel pressed pier is great too, when we know there is load bearing strata within 30' or so... I just think poured concrete, bell bottom or not, relies on skin friction too often. It's better than pressed concrete garbage, but not the best.

I have seen I would guess 250 homes that have foundation issues and had previously installed piers. I have yet to see one that used steel (helical or pressed). 75% are pressed concrete and 25% are bell bottom pours.

What say you sandwolf... Are my TX engineers stuck in the past or used to commercial work?

I am a big fan of helicals, as long as you don't have big lateral loads (which isn't an issue with homes).....and I have used them a number of times for commercial/industrial jobs too (they are a great option if you have limited overhead clearance). And I agree that it is reassuring to know your support capacity based on the torque. I am not recommending helicals for T-Town, as I don't know anything about his job.....I am just recommending Ewing & Ray for foundation work. And I don't know why your TX engineers shy away from helicals....could be that they are stuck in the past, or I guess their could be some technical concern that is specific to the region. But I have had good luck using them around here.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Thanks. Good info.