Underpinning foundations can help in drenched drought conditions
Underpinning foundations could be the solution if this year’s strange weather patterns have left your property standing on less stable ground.
Back in January, we told you about expansive soils – ground that expands or contracts to a large degree due to changes in moisture.
Since then, we have seen an early-spring heatwave that left the country facing drought conditions, followed by heavy rains that have caused disruption for quite the opposite reason.
With many people confused as to why they are subject to a hose-pipe ban when their garden is waterlogged, it’s worth considering what’s happening underground.
That dried-out soil during the highest temperatures of the drought is likely to have contracted in size – with expansive soils shrinking to a particularly large extent.
Now the rains have come, some areas will be swelling back to their fullest, which is likely to cause shifting in the foundations of buildings constructed in expansive soils.
If you suspect your property has weakened as a result of the strange conditions seen so far in 2012, you may want to look into underpinning foundations to help add extra support where it is no longer provided by the surrounding soil.
Underpinning foundations can help ‘naive’ first-time buyers
Underpinning foundations can help to make a property saleable again, if first-time buyers find they have purchased a home that suffers from subsidence.
Research from HSBC indicates that many first-time buyers are “naive” when it comes to buying their first home, and do not ask the most important questions of the vendor.
Just 5% consider subsidence to be something they should ask about – compared with 14% of estate agents who said it is an important question.
Instead, first-time buyers often focus on more general issues like location, garden size and the presence of local amenities – all of which they could find out for themselves, without asking the vendor.
“Buying a home is a serious financial commitment, so it is important that first-time buyers do their homework,” says HSBC’s head of mortgages Peter Dockar.
For those who find their new home is subject to subsidence, but who have already exchanged contracts and keys, underpinning foundations can help to prevent any further slipping of brickwork.
Even in poor ground conditions, we can combine pile foundations with needle beams to offer an extra level of support to a property.
With several types of piling foundations to choose from, contact our pile driving contractors and we can help you to decide which is right for your property.
Underpinning foundations may be necessary after eradicating Japanese Knotweed
You may want to look into underpinning foundations if you have suffered an infestation of Japanese Knotweed close to the structure of your property.
The weed is a significant enough threat that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has published specific guidance on how to assess the risk it poses to buildings.
The highest threat level – tier four – is reserved for when growth is detected within 7m of conservatories and garages.
In a single season, Japanese Knotweed can spread 7m across the ground, and it can reach a height of 3m in just 10 weeks.
However, its deep roots may present more cause for concern where foundations are involved, as at 3m they can draw water from the ground deeper than many other plants might.
This can leave the underground soil dried out, raising the risk of subsidence – something the new RICS guidance should help surveyors to assess more accurately.
If your surveyor raises concerns during a remortgaging evaluation of your property, you may want to seek advice about underpinning foundations that have been disrupted by Japanese Knotweed, other root systems or simply by soil that has become parched due to excessive drainage and inadequate rainfall.
Underpinning foundations may be covered by home insurance
If you’re worried about the cost of underpinning foundations to prevent subsidence to your property, it may be worth checking your home insurance policy.
The Association of British Insurers says the standard excess for subsidence claims is usually £1,000 on buildings insurance policies.
Any cost above that should be met by your insurer – allowing you to enlist the help of professionals in underpinning foundations on your house or outbuildings before subsidence worsens.
To determine whether you may have a subsidence problem, look out for windows or doors that do not close easily, and cracks wide enough to slot a 10p coin into them.
Weather conditions can lead to subsidence – and with much of the UK currently technically in drought conditions, dried-out soil may shift more easily than it otherwise would.
However, even in areas that receive plenty of rain, trees can cause problems for nearby structures.
This is not due to encroachment from their roots, as many people might think, but is because a large deciduous tree can draw 50,000 litres or more of water out of the ground each year.
In essence, this destabilises the ground in the same way as a period of drought.
Look out for the early warning signs of subsidence, and consider underpinning foundations if you think your property may be at risk.
Underpinning foundations safely can help with compliance
Construction refurbishments that involve underpinning foundations could be in the spotlight in the weeks to come as the Health and Safety Executive clamps down on Greater Manchester sites that do not meet the necessary safety standards.
The coming crackdown is focused particularly on sites where refurbishment and repair work is being carried out – such as underpinning foundations to help stabilise older buildings.
Legal requirements state that any work on the structure of a building should be carefully planned in order to avoid unplanned collapse.
As such, underpinning foundations without the right equipment from specialist providers, and without temporary supports in place for the rest of the building, could leave construction firms at risk of breaching their safety obligations.
“The refurbishment sector continues to be the most risky for construction workers, but small changes to working practices can make all the difference,” says HSE principal inspector for construction Neil Jamieson.
Our specialists can offer foundation piling where traditional underpinning is not possible, safely strengthening your foundations through a combination of piling and needle beams in the poorest of ground conditions.
Underpinning foundations can help prevent heaving
Underpinning foundations can help deal with all kinds of soil conditions – and as the cold of winter gives way to the rainy days of spring, ‘heaving’ is one issue that you might encounter.
Soil is subject to a lot of weather-related effects, and we recently told you about expansive soils, which can become unpredictable in particularly dry conditions.
However, when it is especially wet, all types of soil can experience heaving – this is when the level of moisture in the ground becomes high enough that the soil expands significantly, and can literally push foundations upwards out of the earth.
By underpinning foundations, you can tackle this effect by strengthening the position of your structure within the topmost layers of soil.
Alternatively, if you are working on a new construction project, concrete piles can give support to your foundation or basement levels from deeper underground.
When weather conditions are less than favourable, there is the option of using pre-cast concrete piles delivered from off-site.
These offer the strength of reinforced concrete, but are not subject to the vagaries of the weather during their drying time, ensuring that the necessary chemical reactions can take place to make them strong and reliable.
Underpinning foundations can tackle expansive soils
Underpinning foundations is a good way to create stability in soils that are not stable enough to support structures on their own.
Expansive soils are a particular cause for concern – these are where changes in moisture content can make the ground expand or contract by quite a large amount.
Following a fairly dry 2011, soils in many areas are likely to be much drier than they would ordinarily be, making some construction projects unpredictable.
In England, for example, Met Office estimates for the whole of 2011 are that rainfall was just 84% of its normal level.
Even in December, England’s rainfall was down, at 99% of its expected average for the month.
With this in mind, builders could find dry soils are unable to support foundations as well as they ordinarily would do – and some already-completed buildings may well develop foundation problems, too.
By underpinning foundations to help improve their stability, construction projects can be kept on track, and completed structures safeguarded.
With the Met Office forecasting a warmer-than-average year for 2012 as well, the need to underpin foundations could arise more often in the future, as soils dry out and offer less support than they have done in years gone by.
Mini piling helps in compact redevelopments
Mini piling can help in construction work on previously developed sites, which may be surrounded by other developments that make access an issue.
With compact mini piling rigs, tighter access routes can be made viable, while less room is needed on the site itself.
Suburban environments are one example of where properties can be constructed at relatively high densities, putting room at a premium for any future projects.
However, according to a report from Policy Exchange, almost one million people moved away from urban residential areas in the years from 2001 to 2008.
“There are more jobs and higher wages in cities and nearly two thirds of people would prefer to live in the suburbs of urban areas,” the report notes.
As more people move to the edges of cities, this in turn applies renewed pressure to the availability of suburban housing – particularly when developing greenfield sites is not an option due to planning constraints.
With mini piling, even compact plots can be developed to their fullest potential, minimising negative environmental impacts and delivering the maximum benefit to housing availability in the area.
Mini pile foundations perfect for green building
Mini pile foundations are the ideal option for construction where green and sustainable building standards must be met.
Analyst IBISWorld predicts that “revenue will soar” among the leading sustainable building specialists in the coming five years.
Regions with a higher concentration of residential properties are particularly expected to lead this resurgence in activity.
According to IBISWorld, a higher local population typically drives business activity higher, which in turn leads to demand for commercial and industrial properties in the area.
The forecast is based on performance in the US market, but might be expected to be repeated in the UK and elsewhere as growth returns to construction-related disciplines.
For companies keen to ride the green wave, mini pile foundations are one ideal option.
Mini pile foundations can be put in place with compact rigs, making them perfect for smaller projects such as those that might be available in an otherwise constrained market.
Their compact nature also makes them environmentally preferable, enhancing the sustainability of the structure from the moment its first foundations are put in place.
The Benefits of Experienced Pile Driving Contractors
If you find that you need to have piling installed on a building project, it is always best to use experienced pile driving contractors such as MK Piling to carry out the work.
One of the reasons it is so important to use professional pile driving contractors is that there is a range of different piling available. From mini piling to CFA piles, there are different options to suit different jobs. For instance, if noise is an issue on one job it might be possible to use a particular type of piling that cuts down on the noise produced during the process. This is something your pile driving contractors will be able to advise you on.
There are also certain standards that need to be met when installing piling foundations. Any work needs to be signed off by a building inspector and it needs to fall into line with the plans specified for the project by an architect. In order to ensure your project is a success, is completed safely and meets all the relevant regulations, it is vital that you use experienced pile driving contractors.