Push and Helical Pier Underpinning Vs Concrete Underpinning

When you have foundation issues, it’s reasonable for you to want to find an affordable method of repair. However, more affordable doesn’t equal effective. Sometimes cheap foundation repair offers cheaper results, especially with the various types of concrete underpinning. You need to know the different foundation repair methods before deciding on what to do.

You want a foundation repair solution that ensures the integrity of your home. You want a foundation repair solution that’s right the first time.

We are often called to homes that already have shallow concrete underpinning under them. Repairing those homes is how we learned which foundation repair methods hold up in our soil and which do not.

Types of Concrete Underpinnings

Micropile

These are essentially mini caissons pushed next to the footing of your home until it locks in. They’re installed under your concrete footing for support. However, this is a large chunk of concrete still in the “active zone,” or the area near the surface that is still affected by water and able to shift, causing foundation settlement or heave.

Concrete or Gravel Pads With Sacrificial Jacks

Some companies will go under your footing to create a concrete or gravel pad. On the concrete pad will be what is called a “sacrificial jack.” The jack is the part attached to your footing to support the weight your home exerts. Well, it’s supposed to. But nothing is happening. The jacks are still in the active zone.

New Footings With Sacrificial Jacks

Sometimes homes are constructed with ineffective footings, or they have deteriorated. The footing is ripped out and replaced with sacrificial jacks every couple of feet.

Sister Footing

A footing is attached to the existing one to hold up the home. This often accelerates the sinking.

If the footing isn’t supported by anything, the weight of the sister footing will accelerate foundation settlement.

These Methods Don’t Work

This isn’t to say they’re impossible to make work. The problem is if they’re still in the “active zone.” And concrete is heavier than the galvanized push pier and helical pier system used to lift or stabilize the home.

But installing these only in unstable soil won’t help you; it will hurt you.

But people install these alternatives, anyway. They’re incredibly cheap, but sometimes you get the results you pay for. And sometimes the cheaper products are more faulty or create more damage than you want.

But let’s say you have competent soil six feet under your home. These alternatives can work so long as they’re in competent soil. Anything above it is a waste of an investment for you. You’d be deploying an anchor to a sinking ship adds more weight and accelerates the process.

None of this is to say anything involving concrete doesn’t work. If they’re made and applied correctly at the proper depth, they can do the job just fine. However, the more shallow and away from competent soil, the less effective. They’re pointless if they aren’t touching competent soil or bedrock.

If they aren’t touching, your home can still be affected by movement.

What Happens When Concrete Underpinning Stops Short of Competent Soil?

Concrete underpinning that stops short of competent soil can keep settling along with the soil around it. How deep competent soil or bedrock sits can vary from one property to the next. Our push piers and helical piers are installed until they reach competent soil or bedrock.

And if there’s anything we don’t want you to endure, it’s paying for the same repair twice.

We want you to know how this works. That way you can make sure a company does the job correctly the first (and hopefully the last) time.

This Isn’t to Say Concrete Underpinnings Are Generally Bad

There are effective concrete underpinning methods used today.

A Cassion is a deepened concrete cylinder dug down to bedrock or competent soil to hold up a structure. A hole is dug first and filled with concrete and rebar. You’ll find these typically on cliffside homes for lateral and vertical support.

These babies go deep into the ground to prevent a structure from moving. This is something you could do for your foundation repair, but they’re pricy.

The galvanized steel push pier and helical pier method Dalinghaus, and many other companies, use for foundation repair is half the cost and just as effective.

They can be designed for any type of load, are cheaper, quicker to install, less messy than concrete caissons, and don’t need venti-sized equipment to install.

Push Pier and Helical Pier Underpinning Works

This is regardless of any foundation repair company you choose, whether you go with Dalinghaus or any of our competitors. The push and helical piers work well when they’re put in properly.

With push/helical pier underpinning, there is significantly less destruction of property. You don’t need to worry about the excess weight of added concrete unnecessarily being an anchor to your home.

Both types of piers are installed at proper depths. Push piers are hydraulically pushed into the ground to bedrock to stop foundation settlement. Helical piers have helices that screw into competent soil to prevent foundation settlement. The intense amount of torque prevents movement.

Think of push piers like a nail and helical piers like a screw.

You can use both helical and push piers for one project. Regardless, they both do the same job so your home no longer moves. The idea is if you were to remove the active zone under your house, your house isn’t affected since the piers are in either bedrock or compact soil.

You Now Know of the Different Underpinning Methods. How Will You Move Forward?

The push and helical pier underpinnings are the better way to go for your foundation repair. Shallow concrete underpinnings don’t do anything to help you. Deep underpinnings using concrete are effective, but they do cost a lot. If you can afford it, go for it.

But if you’re looking forward to something more affordable and incredibly effective, look to have your foundation repaired with push/helical pier installation. It works!

And again, you don’t have to choose Dalinghaus Foundation Repair. Seek out multiple bids to compare and contrast companies. See which company is the best fit for YOU.

But you do need somewhere to start. Schedule a FREE foundation evaluation with Dalinghaus Foundation Repair. Seriously, we don’t charge a single cent to have one of our foundation inspectors come out to your property to look for any problems. All we ask for is 60-90 minutes of your time.

Schedule a Free Evaluation

Foundation movement is easier to judge in person than from a photo. Schedule a free evaluation and a Dalinghaus specialist will walk the property with you and explain what the evidence shows.