All American Traditions

Our specialty is Foundation Repair

Steel Push Piers

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50 Ton Lifting Cylinder
50 Ton Lifting Cylinder

Steel piers are one of the best choices for foundation repair.  Sometimes knows as push piers, resistance piers, micro piles or steel pressed piers they offer a large variety of stabilization options. They are economical, install with very little disruption to landscaping and they remove soil out of the equation.  They work excellent in all kinds of soils and are able to be installed in all types of terrain.

 

 

pier_lifting_1The push pier uses the weight of your home or building as resistance to reach deep depths within the soil or bedrock.  The function of the push pier is to stabilize your foundation and or lift the structure back to grade vertically.  It takes the home/structures load bearing walls and transfers the weight onto the bracket and steel piers, pulling the issue of soil out of the equation. The resistance of the deep driven steel tubes allow the home or structure to be easily lifted and/or stabilized from any further vertical movement. This is a permanent repair to any area of failure.

Gap In Soil After Lifting
Gap In Soil After Lifting

Advantages:

  • Very high capacities
  • Tremendous lifting capacities
  • Installation from inside or outside a home or structure
  • Little disruption to landscaping
  • Full excavation or partial excavation is available
  • Requires minimum soil removal
  • Can reach deeper depths than other types of piers
  • Field load tested every time
  • Quick installation

 

 

steel_piers

Helical Piers or Piles

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helical_1

This type of foundation repair is known as helical piers, helix pier, screw anchor or ground anchor and are similar to push piers.

They have steel tubing that is driven into the soil for support.  The main difference is that they are screwed into the soil or twisted until they reach competent load-bearing soil or a particular torque pressure designed by the engineer.  In the world of foundation repair they are used to support existing structures, patios and hillside support.  In new construction they are driven into the soil and the new footing poured incasing the bracket for additional deeper support replacing the “old fashioned” concrete piers or deeper footings from years past.

The amount of torque required to install the helical pier is directly related to the capacity of the Helical Pier and design by the engineer.  The helical pier consists of a steel shaft either round, pipe-style or solid, square shaft. Then plates (helix’s) are welded to the first driven section length.  These plates that are welded to the tube increasing in size depending on the desired load needed for support.  These plates allow the tube to be screwed into the soil while with each added depth; the system reaches greater resistance pressure.  

Retro-fit Pile
Retro-fit Pile

Due to their design, the helical piers do not need to be installed as deep as the resistance piers since the helix on the system is what captures the tension or torque needed to support. They must only be installed below the active soil or weak layers.  The project engineer determines the target depth or PSI needed to be reached.  Helical piers do offer some lateral support which the push pier or resistance pier does not, but it also does not fully pull soil out of the equation since they are not driven to solid strata or bedrock.

 

New Construction Pile
New Construction Pile

Advantages:

  • Very high capacities
  • Installed quickly, sometimes in a day or two
  • Soil removal from site is unnecessary
  • Installs with little or no vibration
  • Easily load tested to verify the capacity
  • Minimal effects on landscaping
  • Installs below unstable or sinking soil
  • Great for use with light structures, patio’s,, room additions, pre-construction

 

 

helical_hillside

Tie Back, Wall & Plate Anchors

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wall_anchorTie back anchors can be used for a variety of projects. New construction, retaining wall stabilization, hillside stabilization and to help stabilize all types of walls and stabilize their movement.

The wall Anchor System is a design professional’s and property owner’s alternative to completely removing and rebuilding walls that have become cracked and/or bowed as a result of lateral earth pressure exceeding the design capacity of the wall.  This happens due to moisture in the soil, poor compacted soil, or soil that gets saturated with water adding extra weight that has not been accounted for in the design.

helical_tiebackAdvantages:

  • Minimal excavation or disturbance  to property, lawn or landscaping
  • Installation in a day or less
  • Can be installed year round
  • Easily installed in areas with decks, landscaping or flowerbeds
  • Cost effective or less cost than rebuilding walls or hillsides

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Bottle Jacks / Interior Support

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bottle_jacks3One of the easiest ways to see if you are receiving a quality foundation repair specialist is to inquire about the equipment they are to use for repair. If they are using bottle jacks for any type of foundation repair, I am sorry to say you should end your relationship right then and there. Don’t waste any more of your time.

Bottle jacks are cheap, simple and used for car jacks, trailer hitches, or to hold up temporary items that need to be lifted.  The lack of a pressure gauge shows us another deficiency of bottle jacks.  They cannot measure force applied to a foundation or interior beam and there is no way of knowing if they can sustain the force needed for any length of time.  The fact is; they should not be used to support any type of foundation.

The Interior Support:

bottle_jacks2Interior supports are designed for homes with crawlspaces. Raised foundation homes are always susceptible to sagging floor joists and unsupported beams within a crawlspace.  The Stabilizer levels and stabilizes existing support beams and floor joists with minimal disturbance.  The Stabilizer comes complete with a high strength 3-inch steel column, heavy –duty adjustable threaded rod and connecting steel plate.  It installs quickly without messy concrete or excessive excavation.

In some cases, a 2’ x 2’ hole is dug out under your crawlspace.  Small aggregate is placed at the bottom, a cement cylinder is then leveled within the area, and additional aggregate is placed around the cylinder for added horizontal support. The Stabilizer is then placed on top of this support area, the floor is lifted level or supported.

crawl_spaceThis type of support system under your home not only supports as the existing supports do but will also outlast any interior support system currently installed.  This system is designed to be adjusted if needed very easily.  Current  systems usually are 4×4 pieces of wood, not steel support and can’t be adjusted without removing and replacing them.

All American Traditions Foundation Repair will inspect every year free of charge as a preventative maintenance plan to help keep your home on solid ground.

 

Advantages of Interior Supports:

  • Very high capacities of support
  • Tremendous stabilization capacities
  • Installation is completed without disruption
  • No disruption to landscaping
  • Can require minimal or no soil removal within the crawl space
  • Quick installation

Disadvantages:

  • Installation is harder in crawl spaces without ample room to move around

Mud Jacking

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Garage driveway before concrete lifting/mud jacking
Garage driveway before concrete lifting/mud jacking
After concrete lifting/mud jacking
After concrete lifting/mud jacking

 

 

 

 

 

Mud jacking is also known as compaction grouting, concrete raising, concrete lifting and slab jacking. This process is almost exactly what it sounds like. It is a way to pump in, under pressure, large amounts of concrete to fill voids and lift concrete back to grade.

 

Mud jacking is an inexpensive way to repair areas of concrete that have settled. Sidewalks, driveways, patios, basement floors and foundation walls are all good candidates for this type of process. The process is simple: A hole is drilled in the concrete slab, and then a thin mixture of sand and cement, also known as grout are pumped under the area. This fills the voids beneath the area but if enough is pumped in, will raise the area.  

 

Mud jacking is also in some cases a good repair for areas with poor soil conditions.  The same type of mixture is pumped into the soil, under pressure, and the pressure pushes the soil; compacting it together.  The mixture will then fill the void just created by pushing the soil together, thus densifying the area.  When Mud jacking is used to lift the perimeter of a home, the process is a little more labor intense.  The soil around the perimeter is removed; the foundation is raised, usually with bottle jacks. A new or higher footer is poured and when everything dries, the foundation is dropped back down on the new pour, usually at a higher elevation to level the home back to its original grade.

 

Advantages:

  • Less expensive than other methods
  • Good lifting capacities for light weight structures
  • Quick installation
  • Good repair for sidewalks, driveways that do not have much weight

Disadvantages:

  • Full excavation is usually needed for lifting a home
  • Added weight to an already burdened area ( a lot of weight ! )
  • No guarantee on when it will fail again… because it usually does due to added weight
  • Concrete drying period is usually 3 to 4 days, plus a full cure is 28 days
  • During the curing process, the concrete shrinks

“Our specialty is Foundation Repair”

Foundation failure, movement, hillside repair and settlement is what All American Traditions specializes in. Something that not everyone suffers from but when one does, the most immediate and educational support is needed.

All American Traditions is here with the solution and help you need. We will have repair and options that work; ones that will eliminate the problem and your worry. We will provide you a permanent solution that you can count on to repair your foundation your home and investment.

Foundation repair can sometimes be costly depending on the approach taken.

All American Traditions gives you options based on the needs of your home overall conditions as well as a specific repair plan for the site your home sits on.

The affected area is usually the only area that needs repair, not the entire perimeter or the entire home. Though it is possible that multiple areas of your home foundation is failing, it is rare. Don’t let other contractors fool you and tell you something that is not true (we see this all the time). Get multiple bids and talk to each company.

We bid the projects and install our system. This gives us the upper hand to know what your options are. We are not just the company that sells and gives our best guess. You need an experienced inspector to keep costs down and just propose what the issue is and not more.

We will use a manometer to take an elevation reading of your foundation and floor, complete an inspection, find out exactly what your concerns are and give you a written proposal of options to help put you and your home back on solid ground.

It is our goal to make any issue that you have with regard to foundation repair as painless and as easy to deal with as possible. Request Your Free Foundation Report Today!

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