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Other foundation repair products

Spread Footing Advantages:

1. Low cost of materials and low installation labor costs for the contractor.

Spread Footing Disadvantages:
1. Concrete for the project is usually purchased in multipurpose premixed sacks at the home improvement center.
2. Packaged concrete mix does not have the sufficient bearing strength required for long term structural support.
3. Your home must wait for at least one week for the concrete to cure properly; meanwhile there are unsafe open excavations around the house.
4. Spread footings rest upon the same failing soil as the structure. Because of this, spread footings continually move and settle from the effects of changing moisture and soil consolidation.
5. This instability of the shallow soils requires that the spread footings be adjusted or “shimmed” at least annually. The contractor may adjust the footings under warranty, but the homeowner is stuck paying for repairs to the interior and exterior cracks or gaps.
6. Many spread footing installers are new to the business and use inexperienced labor. The turnover for these businesses is high due to the high volume of adjustments and complaints.

Concrete Pressed Pilings Advantages:

1. The small precast concrete cylinders are a very, very cheap product.
2. The contractor has minimal investment in installation equipment.
3. Inexpensive unskilled laborers usually perform the installation.
4. The product is rapidly installed so the project is quickly finished.
5. Minimal disturbance to lawn and shrubs occurs during installation.

Concrete Pressed Pilings Disadvantages:
1. If the concrete cylinder fractures under the installation force, it cannot be inspected or removed.
2. Skin friction from the soil on the sides of the cylinders dramatically increases with depth. This limits the installation depth to perhaps 5 to 7 feet, which may not be below the problem soil.
3. There is no equipment used to guide and align the cylinders vertically under the foundation. If the pressed pile is not installed vertically, lateral forces tend to separate the individual cylinders.
4. Because concrete pressed pilings are founded within the same failing soil as the structure, they will usually move and settle with the effects of changing moisture.
5. Due to the skin friction on the sides of the concrete pressed piling, the concrete cylinders can be pulled downward as soil compaction and consolidation occurs.
5. This instability of the shallow soils requires that the pressed pilings be adjusted or “shimmed” at least annually. The contractor may adjust the pilings, but the homeowner is stuck with the expense of repairing the interior and exterior cracks and/or gaps.
6. Many concrete pressed pilings installers are new to the business and use inexperienced labor. The turnover for this business is high due to the high number of adjustments and complaints that generate no revenue for the contractor.

Drilled Concrete Pier Advantages:

1. Low cost of materials and rapid installation.

Drilled Concrete Pier Disadvantages:
1. Gasoline powered augers are used to dig the holes. The soil removed from the borings disrupt shrubs and smother grass.
2. The average depth for residential drilled and cast concrete piers is anywhere from 6 to 8 feet below the surface. In many cases the problem soil exists beyond this depth so the repair is ineffective.
3. Your home must wait for at least one week for the concrete to cure properly; meanwhile there are unsafe open excavations around the house and piles of dirt on the lawn or driveway.
4. Because drilled concrete piers are founded within the same failing soil as the structure, drilled concrete piers will usually move and settle with the effects of changing moisture.
5. Due to the effects of skin friction on the sides of the concrete pier shaft, the concrete pier can be pulled downward as soil compaction and consolidation occurs.
6. Support from the drilled pier is derived from the soil surrounding and below the concrete pier. No universal diameter or depth is appropriate. Soil information is required to insure sufficient depth and capacity to support a given structure. This usually requires professional engineering input.

Read about the advantages of ECP Steel Piers™ here.

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