What is Underpinning? - Part 2 - Other Methods

Underpinning is often considered as a solution for subsidence however the need to stabilise ground could warrant underpinning for other reasons therefore underpinning is not a solution exclusive to subsidence

Source: http://www.mason-mason.co.uk/

In last week’s article (Link) I discussed traditional underpinning and explained that this is often a solution to ground movement (subsidence), which will stabilise a building or structure in the event that movement is continuing.   I also explained that dealing with ground movement is not always disruptive or expensive however professional advice is always recommended to ensure that an appropriate remediation method is adopted.  In this week’s article I will consider a number of different methods of underpinning as alternatives to traditional underpinning that may be selected to suit individual circumstances.

Underpinning is often considered as a solution for subsidence however the need to stabilise ground could warrant underpinning for other reasons therefore underpinning is not a solution exclusive to subsidence.  For example, the use of a building may change which would add load.  The original foundation design may not have been designed for this additional load, this could warrant underpinning.  Adding an additional storey/s to a building would be a good example of this.  Also, the construction of nearby structures may warrant additional support to an existing foundation for which underpinning may be selected.  For whatever reason underpinning is used it is important that the correct method is selected.  Traditional underpinning was discussed in last week’s article however this week will I discuss needle beam underpinning, cantilever beam underpinning and an underpinning raft.

Source: www.gbanksltd.com

Needle Beam Underpinning – This method of underpinning stabilises existing foundations with the installation of concrete ‘needle beams’ supported by concrete mini-piles.  The amount, distance between needles and diameter of the mini piles will be determined by the design. Concrete mini-piles can be either cast in-situ (this is where wet concrete is used with steel reinforcement) or pre-cast (made off site a delivered as a dry solid concrete component).  A small hole or pocket is broken out below ground level and just above the existing foundation as detailed on the image at the left.  Concrete mini piles are then installed into the ground adjacent to the newly made hole. We will consider cantilever beams in a moment, however a common method of installing needle beam underpinning is to install a concrete mini pile either side of the newly formed hole, one inside the property and one on the outside.

www.gbanksltd.com

The concrete mini piles, once installed will have short steel reinforcement bars projecting at the top.  These are referred to as starter bars and allow further steel reinforcement to be attached which will connect each of the concrete mini piles to each other as they pass through the hole/pocket that has been made in the wall.  The next stage is to provide temporary timber formwork around the reinforcement bars to accommodate and hold the wet concrete until it has cured (hardened).  Once the formwork is complete the wet concrete is poured and allowed to cure, after which the timber formwork is removed, leaving behind a single solid concrete beam supported off the concrete mini piles.  The hole/pocket, which the new concrete beam now passes through, is made good with the installation of ‘packers’ to fill any gap between the top of the new concrete needle beam and the underside of wall that is being supported.  Packers will usually take the form of a masonry material or possibly materials such as slate to ensure that any voids are completely filled so that the wall has a solid support.

Needle beam underpinning is used where traditional underpinning is not appropriate due to the existing foundations being too deep, or good bearing strata is so deep that it is uneconomical to dig (depths greater than 1.5m). Concrete mini piles are typically installed in pairs at 1.0m-1.5m intervals and approximately 1.0m-1.5m apart, although this can vary with design.  The advantages of this system include suitability for restricted access, the needle beams can be constructed at a higher level if the existing foundations are too deep, it is often faster than traditional underpinning, it is more economical at greater depths, the system has a high load capacity and there is less disruption and spoil produced compared to traditional underpinning.

Source: www.gbanksltd.com

Cantilever Beam Underpinning – Firstly it is worth clarifying the term cantilever.  Freeedictionary.com provide the following definition; ‘A projecting structure, such as a beam, that is supported at one end and carries a load at the other end or along its length’ This method of underpinning will stabilise a wall foundation either internally or externally however it does not require support on both the internal and external side of the wall.  Basically all of the support is provided at just one side of the wall with the load supported off a concrete cantilever beam which passes through the wall in the same manner as the needle beam method previously described; i.e. with pockets cut into the wall and a beam cast through the wall with the use of mini-piles, reinforcement, formwork and concrete which links the two mini piles. The image above shows that two mini-piles are installed, one is a compression pile (taking downward force) and the other is tension pile (resisting uplift).   

Many of the advantages of cantilever beam underpinning compared to traditional underpinning are the same as needle beam underpinning described above in terms of speed, more economical at greater depth etc.  A further significant advantage of cantilever beam underpinning is where access is particularly restricted as the mini-piles are cast from just one side of a wall/structure.

Source: www.gbanksltd.com

Underpinning Raft – Of all methods of underpinning described the installation of an underpinning raft is by far the most disruptive and expensive as it can stabilise walls and foundations for a whole building. Mini-piles are installed within a property and capped with an integral reinforced concrete raft.  The diagram on the right shows that needle beams project from the slab into the walls below ground level. This system is used where whole rooms or whole structures are to be underpinned as opposed to individual walls or parts of a building.  Although more expensive than other methods of underpinning an advantage is that a new integral floor slab is provided at the same time as stabilising a building. The image below shows an underpinning raft just prior to concrete being poured.

Underpinning Raft before concrete is poured. Source: http://www.larsenpiling.com/

This week's article has discussed a number of alternatives to traditional underpinning as ways of stabilising walls, buildings or structures.  Professional advice should always be sought to ensure an appropriate method of stabilising is selected. This and last week’s article provide a short introduction into to some of the commonly used methods of stabilising ground, structures and buildings however there are many other ways that stabilisation can be achieved.  This is something I will no doubt discuss in a future article.

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

What is Underpinning? - Part 1 - Traditional Underpinning

There is not a single method of underpinning which will be suitable in every circumstance and to be effective, careful considerations of things such as dead and imposed loads, ground conditions, depth of excavation, site restraints including access and ultimately costs will help to determine the most appropriate method of underpinning to use

Source: http://www.davocal.ie/

I have previously written two articles on the subject of ground movement a term more commonly referred to as subsidence, Subsidence – Part 1 – Not all it’s cracked up to be! and Subsidence – Part 2 – Factors that contribute to subsidence and what to look for. The first article explains how the very word (subsidence) seems to strike fear into most people due to the misconception that ALL instances are both disruptive and expensive to rectify.  Whilst this is true in some circumstances, in the vast majority of cases subsidence can be rectified reasonable quickly and without excessive expense.  In order to establish what correct remedial measures are necessary it is crucial to accurately diagnose the factors causing any episodes of ground movement and whether movement is continuing or has stopped.  In my previous articles I explained that when I first graduated from University I joined a Property Consultancy who’s main area of business was dealing with subsidence insurance claims as Loss Adjusters.  My role was to visit site with a more experienced Structural Engineer, who would make an initial assessment, and then I would be required to manage the claim to a conclusion.  This often involved crack monitoring to establish whether any movement was historic (had now stopped) or progressive (was still continuing).  This was a crucial part of the process as it is pointless dealing with the effect of subsidence until movement has been stopped.  On the occasions where movement was found to be progressive, it was often first necessary to undertake substantial remedial work such as underpinning to stabilise and stop any movement.  In this article I plan to explain what underpinning is so that anyone who is affected by subsidence where underpinning is suggested will have an understanding of what is happening.

So what is underpinning?  Well in simple terms underpinning is a method of strengthening weak foundations whereby a new, stronger foundation is placed beneath the original.  The whole concept of underpinning can seem mind boggling when you consider that this often involves excavating underneath of an existing foundation to strengthen whilst at the same time ensure that the building or structure that is being supported does not disappear even further into the ground!  There are a number of different methods of underpinning including traditional underpinning, needle beam underpinning, cantilever beam underpinning and an underpinning raft. The method of underpinning selected in each situation will be determined by a number of different factors, which I will discuss in this and in next week’s article.  There is not a single method of underpinning which will be suitable in every circumstance and to be effective careful considerations of things such as dead and imposed loads, ground conditions, depth of excavation, site restraints including access and ultimately costs will help to determine the most appropriate method to use.

Source:   Source: Chudley R. & Greeno R (2005), Building Construction Handbook

Traditional Underpinning - This method stabilises existing foundations by digging under the present foundation in sequenced bays to a depth where firm strata exists and replacing the excavated material with mass concrete.  This method of underpinning is used when the existing foundations are at a shallow depth.  ‘Bays’ are usually excavated in 1.0m to 1.5m in length and generally 0.6m wide.  This method can be used to depth of circa 2.5m however due to cost an safety issues it may be worth considering a ‘mini-piled’ solution for depths in excess of 1.5m, something that will be discussed in next weeks article.

Advantages of traditional underpinning compared to other methods is that is simple engineering and generally easily understood, suitable for heavy loads and large structures, occupants can remain in the property as work can be undertaken from outside, method can be used in restricted access areas (does not require plant or machinery), it is a low cost solution at shallow depths and it creates minimal disruption and is not noisy.

Source: http://buildingandengineering.blogspot.co.uk/

You can see from the diagram on the right that each bay is excavated in sequence and then filled with concrete, which is allowed to cure (harden), before the next bay is excavated.  This is crucial to the stability of the building/structure during the process.  Once the concrete has cured the next bay in sequence is excavated, filled with concrete and cured and so the process continues until all of the bays are complete.  This method therefore provides a new deeper foundation over a short period of time but not in one operation. In order to carry out traditional underpinning it is first necessary to understand the ground conditions (via a ground investigation) to know what depth to excavate for solid ground and the to plan the sequence for the underpinning bays.

Although traditional underpinning is the simplest and most commonly used method of underpinning it is still necessary to obtain professional advice in order to ensure that the selected method of underpinning is designed and completed correctly.  It is also necessary to engage a contractor who is familiar with traditional underpinning and will take into account the various safety aspects of providing temporary support where required, supporting excavations where necessary, working in confined spaces and so on.  Excavating a bay and filling with concrete may seem a very simple process to most people and you may wonder how anyone could get this wrong, however never be surprised with the fallibility of human nature.

A common example I give to my students relates to my previously explained role as a graduate Building Surveyor, working with Property Consultancy who’s main area of business was dealing with subsidence insurance claims as Loss Adjusters.  Late one evening we received a call to a mid-terraced property in the Moseley area of Birmingham from a man who had contacted his insurance company (who then contacted us), where he had arrived home to find a problem with his house.  He had left his house in the morning as usual, shut his from door and proceeded to work.  When he arrived home he put his key in the door, turned the lock the door would not open.  After a number of attempts he promptly shoulder barged the door, which eventually opened.  When he got inside the house he realised that the front door was the least of his problems. There was major vertical cracking in three locations on the party wall (a shared wall with his neighbour), which was so bad he could see through to next door's lounge, the suspended timber ground floor had significantly dropped near the junction of the party wall, there was a 50mm horizontal crack at the junction of the top of the ground floor lounge wall and ceiling and all of the ground floor internal door frames were distorted and none of the internal doors would close properly. Not exactly what you want or expect when you come home from work!  On investigation it was established that his neighbour was in the process of an extensive refurbishment, which included underpinning of the party wall between the two properties. For reasons which we never got to the bottom of the contractor excavated underneath the party wall in one operation, rather that in sequenced bays, and unsurprisingly the whole party wall had dropped as the excavation was part way through!  How somebody was not seriously injured or even killed was a miracle.  The cost of rectifying the works and in addition the costs of temporary accommodation while the work was being carried out were calculated in the region of £75,000.  This demonstrates the significant impact of what can happen if underpinning is not carried out correctly.

In next week's article I will discuss other methods of underpinning such as, needle beam underpinning, cantilever beam underpinning and an underpinning raft.

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

Subsidence – Part 2 – Factors that contribute to subsidence and what to look for

As with tree roots, a drainage system is buried therefore not obviously visible at the time of an inspection.  It always amazes me how people tend to ignore the condition of the below ground drainage system when purchasing property and do not seem to see this as important

Source: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/

In last week’s article I gave an example of the consequences of building subsidence, which can be extremely disruptive and expensive to deal with, however I also emphasised that the vast majority of subsidence damage is less serious and can be rectified reasonably easily.  I also identified that to the average householder the mere mention of the word subsidence strikes fear and panic into them as there is a perception that subsidence damage is always serious. As you would expect and as I have mentioned many times before, if you are thinking of purchasing a property it is always advisable to have a professional, such as a Building Surveyor, inspect the building before you commit to buy.  The Surveyor’s report will identify any issues that are present and inform you if any are serious.  A Building Surveyor will also highlight factors that may contribute to subsidence in the future and not just focus on the here and now.  There are a number of factors that could lead to subsidence and some examples are discussed below:

Clay Soils

To support a building it is essential that the load bearing capacity of the ground is capable of supporting the dead load of the building (the building’s self weight) as well as any imposed load (furniture, fitting, people, snow etc.), once completed and occupied.  The type of ground is essential to a building’s stability as this will determine the most appropriate as well as the depth of the foundation that should be used.  When siting a building, clay soils are particularly problematic compared to most other types of soil because clay has the ability for significant volumetric change depending on how much water/moisture it contains at any particular time.  When clay is wet it will swell and therefore expand, however when the ground starts to dry out all of this moisture is slowly removed and the clay will shrink.  Think about this process happening with a building on it!  If the ground is constantly expanding and then shrinking, then it is inevitable that the weight of a building will eventually be effected by these changes and cause the building to move.  Having said the above there is no reason why a building cannot be constructed on clay as long as this is established through ground investigations and appropriately catered for in the design.  This may involve deeper foundations, as well as the inclusion of root barriers where trees and vegetation may be in close proximity to the building.

Trees

Source: http://pipe-repair-woollahra.street-directory.com.au/

Whilst inspecting a property, as well as focussing on the building itself I would always look very closely at the surrounding environment and in particular the size and location of trees.  If not managed, trees and in particularly their roots have the ability to undermine foundations, damage drains and cause significant damage to a building.  The problem with tree roots is that you often cannot see the extent of the root growth or proximity to the building because they are buried.  This however does not mean that they should be ignored and where trees are deemed the pose a threat to a building then the services of a tree expert (Arboriculturist), should be called upon.  This is necessary because different species of tree will exhibit different characteristic in terms of size, growth rate, root spread etc. in addition to advice that can be provided in respect of the condition of trees and any recommended remedial action.

Tree roots do a number of things when in the ground.  Firstly they take up large amounts of water from the ground.  Given what has been discussed above in respect of clay soils you can easily see that in continued spells of warm weather and high temperatures that clay soil and tree roots are not a good combination and together this will significantly increase the potential for subsidence.  Secondly, as the roots grow they have the ability to physically impact on soils, particularly soft/granular types which can undermine stability especially when they have a foundation and a building siting upon them.  Also, as can be seen below tree roots have the ability to damage below ground drainage.

Drainage

Although it is possible to make a broad assessment of a drainage system during an inspection, by lifting manhole/inspection chamber covers this is limited to a small number of access points only and does not identify the condition of the vast majority of the drainage system around a building.  As with tree roots, a drainage system is buried therefore not obviously visible at the time of an inspection.  It always amazes me how people tend to ignore the condition of the below ground drainage system when purchasing property and do not seem to see this as important.  Even if there is no visible indication of any issues with a drainage system it is still worth considering a CCTV inspection of the system is carried out.

Below ground drainage is quite vulnerable and can become damaged in a number of ways.  Ground movement, even subtle movement can result in drains becoming displaced and fractured, particularly around the joints.  Tree roots can also damage below ground drains and find their way into the system.   If this type of damage does occur then the surface and foul water, which is usually heading toward a sewer, will actually start to discharge at the point/s where the drainage is affected.  If left undetected for a period of time then vast amounts of foul and surface water can be discharged into the ground around a building, which over time will start to influence the stability of the soil, and eventually lead to ground movement.  The lesson here is always establish the condition of the below ground drainage system and deal with any problems quickly, before they become much more serious.

Adjacent Excavations

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

A building could sit quite happily for many years on stable ground without any problems and will only be affected if for some reason the ground conditions change.  One way this could happen is works being carried out in close proximity to a building that requires excavations.  If excavations are carried out to a depth and distance that could undermine or influence the stability of another building then this can cause movement, sometimes, sudden movement.  This should be considered in design where it may be necessary to provide temporary support. I have encountered this on numerous occasions where ground movement has been caused by a neighbour excavating (usually foundations) and usually through ignorance has not considered the stability of their neighbours building.

Leaking Rainwater Goods

Even simple repair and maintenance tasks, if left unattended over a period of time can introduce large amounts of water into the ground, which can affect the soil and undermine foundations which can cause ground movement. Rainwater gutter and downpipe repairs are usually inexpensive however this is one of the most common defects that a Surveyor will encounter when carrying out inspection. 

The article above provides a quick overview of some of the factors that could contribute to subsidence.  The points raised are not exhaustive (there are others) and you will note that no attempt has been made to discuss mining subsidence, which is a subject in its own right, perhaps for a future post. 

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

Subsidence – Part 1 – Not all it’s cracked up to be!

When you see cracking in a building it will not always be, in-fact is very rarely likely to be subsidence.  This can only be established through a comprehensive building survey and detailed investigations

Source: http://www.subsidenceforum.org.uk/

Whilst inspecting buildings I have learned over the years to be very cautious in the terminology I use in the presence of Clients because there are some words that just provoke panic.  Take asbestos for example, or cracking or even subsidence.  These words strike fear into many people mainly as a result of what they have seen on the news or read in the media.  It is fair to say that sometimes these fears can be realised if any of the above examples are found to be present/occurring in a building, however in the vast majority of cases, these issues can be dealt with relatively easily.   This is generally a result of a lack of real understanding, which is why it is always advisable to seek professional advice from a Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer.

When I first graduated from University I joined a Property Consultancy who’s main area of business was dealing with subsidence insurance claims as Loss Adjusters.  My role was to visit site with a more experienced Structural Engineer, who would make an initial assessment, and then I would be required to manage the claim to a conclusion.  This often involved crack monitoring to establish whether any movement was historic (had now stopped) or progressive (was still continuing).  This was a crucial part of the process as it is pointless dealing with the effect of subsidence until movement has been stopped.  On the occasions where movement was found to be progressive, it was often first necessary to undertake substantial remedial work such as underpinning to stabilise the building.  In these instances the whole process could be lengthy and disruptive for the residents and in some instances required temporarily decanting of the occupants to alternative accommodation for the duration of the works.   Most home insurance policies will cover the risk of subsidence and incorporate an excess payment in the region of £1000 (always check the wording of your policy because there can be variations).  This demonstrates that the effects of subsidence can be disruptive and even though it may be covered by home insurance it can still be expensive.

Source: http://www.geoconsult.co.nz/

The above scenario provides an example of what can happen at one end of the scale, however as already stated the vast majority of subsidence claims I managed were dealt with quickly and with minimal disruption, many proving not to be subsidence at all.  When undertaking building surveys, a Surveyor will not just identify where and why subsidence has occurred, but also look for indicators that may contribute to subsidence in the future.  Before providing you with details of what I would look for during a survey (this will be provided in part 2 of the article), I think it is important to first understand exactly what subsidence actually is.

Building design should involved careful consideration of the type/load of the building, the type of foundation used and ground bearing capacity and nature of the ground, the height of the water table and so on.  These types of investigations should help to ensure that once the building is complete and occupied that it does not sink!  Subsidence however is not the same as settlement.  Settlement usually occurs in new or relatively new buildings. As buildings are very heavy they cause the ground to compact, although this will usually stop after a short period of time.  Also, most buildings are constructed in a variety of materials, all of which need to settle and have different rates of shrinkage.  Subsidence occurs when for some reason the load bearing capacity of the ground that a building is placed upon is no longer capable of accommodating that load.  The reasons for the change is the load bearing capacity can occur for many different reasons and many years after the building was first completed.  It is quite feasible for a building to sit quite happily on a piece of ground for many years and due to some of the influences discussed it part 2 of this article, it can start to move.

Cracking in buildings occurs for many different reasons so it is fundamentally important that anyone who undertakes inspections or gives advice in respect of cracking should not make rash judgements and should gather all of the evidence before arriving at a possible cause.  In order to aid the inspector, which as stated previously, can be a Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer, it might be necessary to recommend other investigations such as geo-technical surveys to establish ground type, composition, contaminants etc., trial holes to establish foundation depths, CCTV inspection of the drainage system and possibly an arboricultural survey to give advice on any trees that may be an influencing factor.  The choice of which investigations are needed will be decided once the inspector has made an initial assessment of the cracking.  Therefore when you see cracking in a building it will not always be, in-fact is very rarely likely to be subsidence.  This can only be established through a comprehensive building survey and detailed investigations.

In part 2 of this article (next week) I will discuss subsidence in more detail and provide information in respect of the things a Building Surveyor will look at to identify when and how subsidence is occurring and indicators that may suggest that subsidence can occur in the future.

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.