Although it may be easier to install a foundation prior to the commence of the main structure of a building, a significant percentage of our clientele require assistance with securing the foundation of an existing property. After all, a poor-quality installation or sheer lack of foundation is almost guaranteed to cause problems a few years down the line. Read on as we explain how the Rhino Piling team can help secure foundational issues found in existing builds…
There is a common misconception that it is impossible to apply traditional foundational reinforcements to those of an existing build, however those amongst us with experience in the piling industry will know that this isn’t necessarily true. After all, there are alternative approaches that are designed to be effective at securing these types of foundations known as underpinning and mini-piling. Before we get into the way that these are implemented within the industry, it is important to know why they are used in the first place.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to consider when securing an existing foundation is the amount of space that there is to work with as there is often restricted headroom with these types of projects which make traditional piling approaches impossible to utilise. In addition to this, the vibrations created as a result of driving the piles into place can actually cause further movement and make a foundation more unstable.
Mini-piling is a foundational solution that involves piles that are thinner and therefore a lot lighter than traditional piles without sacrificing on the depth of their installation, however these qualities allow them to be installed in existing builds where headroom and vibrations often have to be taken into consideration. After all, a mini-piling rig is significantly smaller. On the other hand, underpinning involves extending the depth of existing piles or distributing the weight more evenly in order to reinforce a foundation’s stability, and is therefore designed to work in harmony with existing builds in a way that traditional piling cannot.
It is hard to deny that installing or reinforcing an existing foundation comes with a set of challenges that aren’t tackled with traditional piling methods, however the Rhino Piling team put a lot of emphasis on the importance of a full on-site evaluation in order to find the most suitable way to approach each project. To find out more information, get in contact with the best piling Manchester has to offer today!
