Engineering Design:
Exploration of the foundation showed the footings were only eighteen inches below grade, allowing seasonal frost heave and thawing to continuously shift. Furthermore, the foundation was bearing on fill soils, including roots, ash, and organic silt. Northeast Helical designed an underpinning system to support and raise the foundation.

Project Details:
Northeast Helical installed ten underpinning piles to support the settling foundation. The access pits were manually excavated and the piles were advanced using hand-held equipment to minimize damage to landscaping in the yard, as excavators tend to destroy neatly landscaped areas. After the piles were installed, the foundation was raised approximately three inches. The work was successfully completed in five working days.