BUILDING FOUNDATION PILE
Collapsing building, unstable structure, crooked floor, broken house?
What are the signs of sagging?
The most common problems are the appearance of cracks in the foundation, cracked brick, poorly closing doors and windows, and cracks in the interior walls.When the foundation of a building appears to be unstable or cracks appear in the brick or in the cladding of the house, this may be a sign of the structure collapsing.The building’s foundation is potentially seated on unstable, often clay soil. The foundation therefore needs to be piled to the bedrock using hydraulic piles.
What are the causes of a sagging foundation?
The main cause of movement in Quebec is the dry clay and the unstable nature of the soil.A clay soil can sometimes show weaknesses and by the very fact cause a movement of the base sole resulting in a sinking into the foundation floor. A single ½ inch motion can cause serious problems to the integrity of the building. A large tree near the foundations can dry the ground near the building and thus create faults in the ground which also generates movement. Many houses are built on low-bearing soils. A concrete foundation weighs several tons and can easily sink if the ground does not have the capacity to support it. Steel piles will be pushed to the bedrock refusal and therefore stabilize the structure.
What to do?
During the visit of our expert we will be able to take different level markers in order to determine if the structure of the building has undergone a movement and if it needs to be stabilized with metal piles. If this is the case, we will install anchors at several locations around the foundations into which the hydraulic piles will be driven. These foundation piles will be driven down to the rock and then welded to the anchor shoe.The weight of the foundations will then be transferred to the foundation shoes. No more pressure will be applied to the unstable ground. Whether there is a drought, a flood or a subsidence of the ground, the foundation of the house will be 100% protected from the weather. Over the years we have developed cutting-edge techniques to stabilize future moving buildings and thus secure the investment of the owner. Our technique will be supported by a certified engineer’s plan to ensure the correct diameter as well as the optimal placement of the piles. The stability of our foundation piles is guaranteed for 25 years. We also guarantee water infiltration up to 30 years since we install a new BNQ French drain and waterproof the foundation with an elastomeric membrane.
Several cities such as Montreal, Laval, Repentigny, St-Lazare, Longueuil, Notre-Dame-De-l'Ile-Perrot, St-Amable, Verchères and Beloeil offer a subvention for any work to stabilize residential building foundations using hydraulic piles. These subventions can sometimes reimburse up to 2/3 of the total bill for the work. Call us now for more information and to get your free quote.