Today, we have a chance to peek into the world of a Systems Design Specialist. Aaron Moore is our real estate and investment design specialist. He's usually brought in during a real estate transaction to provide design and project work. Here are his answers to two frequently asked questions:
If only part of my house is settling and needs piers, will the rest of my house settle, too?
The honest answer is "I don't know". Since soil is composed of various layers that become disturbed during construction, your home may be resting partially on expansive soils, or the entire lot may be expansive. At this point, we should look at your home and determine the overall scope of repair needed. If we find that settling or heaving is occurring in only a portion of your home, then we can repair and warranty that area. If we find indicators that the entire structure is resting on expansive, active soil and your whole foundation is moving, then we can pier and warranty the entire home.
A residential structural engineer will review my proposed solution, as well as the local soil conditions, and determine if the scope of work I've recommended needs to be increased or decreased. The nice thing about Peak Basement Systems is that we have an engineer on staff, who is not only familiar with our products and local soil conditions, but he is able to complete site visits and follow ups with me! He also conducts regular training sessions with me and the other Design Specialists to insure that we are properly diagnosing and designing our proposed solutions. Our engineer is also present to review each and every design prior to our work being permitted.
Why do you recommend installing piers on both sides of a corner?
In most cases piers are installed at about 6' intervals, depending on the structural needs of your home. This is also true near the corners. If a pier is installed at 2'-3' on one side of a corner, another pier should be installed within approximately 2'-3' from the other side of the corner. In some cases, calculations may show that only one pier is required at a corner, provided the spacing remains correct. However, with that layout, experience has shown that there is increased risk that damage may be done to the footings and foundation wall, especially during a lift. We recommend a corner be supported on both sides to prevent any damage.
Add comment to this post:
 |
 |
 |
 |