Foundation Stabilization Using Push Piers, Pelham, NH

Monday, October 16th, 2023 by Travis Kellogg

Challenge

A homeowner in Pelham, New Hampshire has lived in their home for years. Years ago they had cracks in their foundation and water entered through them but the cracks were sealed. Now years later the cracks are growing again and they decided they needed to call a company with experience in foundation repair.

The homeowner did their research and found a company in their area that has been in business for over 40 years. She called Erickson Foundation Solutions and our customer care center scheduled an appointment for one of our Design Specialists to come out to their home for a free inspection.

Our Design Specialist Liam Fitzpatrick met with the homeowners at the house. He first talked to the homeowners about their concerns with the cracking of their foundation. After their conversation, he then inspected the inside and outside of the foundation. During his inspection, he took detailed measurements of the foundation and determined that the home had settled a few inches in some places around the home. Liam created two proposals to recommend to the homeowners.

Option #1- The first option was to install 5 Push Piers in the area of the foundation that had settled the most. This is a viable solution but will only protect this area of the home.
Option #2- The second solution was to install 32 Push Piers around the entire home. This will protect the entire home and prevent further settlement.

The homeowner decided to proceed with option 2 which provided full protection to their foundation.

Solution

Our Installation Team led by Foreman Neal Foley began by using our excavator to remove dirt from around the home. The team dug down until we exposed the footing of the home all the way around. During excavation, Neal and his team ran into a large section of ledge and concrete right in front of the main door. The team had to chip out the object using the chipping tool attached to the excavation. The team chipped for a while to break up the object in front of the main door so they could access the footing of the home.

After the footing of the home was completely exposed the team began to mark where each of the Push Pier Brackets would be installed per Liam's drawing. The team marked where all 32 Piers will be installed. The team then secured each bracket on the footing of the foundation by using very strong hardware.

After the brackets were secured we then used our hydraulic press and attached it to multiple brackets so we could press 3' sections of galvanized steel below the home at the same time. This will allow us to add support an entire side of the foundation before moving on to the next. The team made sure each Pier was pressurized a predetermined pressure. After all the Piers were set to the correct pressure we then capped them and removed the hydraulic press. Once they were all capped the team installed a drainage system around the foundation to carry water away from the foundation.

To complete the job the team backfilled all of the dirt back over the foundation wall and back to it original height. The team made sure to tamp the dirt down to make sure the soil wouldn't wash away.

The homeowners were very pleased with the results of the project. They don't have to worry about the foundation of their home settling and cracking their foundation again.