There are three types of exterior foundation piers that we utilize:
- Hydraulic driven steel piers
These are the most common type of pier used at Edens. The bracket is constructed from a 12” long ½” thick angle. We excavate to the bottom of the footing to install this bracket. After excavation, the footing is chipped smooth and any irregularities in the bottom of the footing are filled in with high strength rapid set grout.
The next step uses the weight of the structure to hydraulically push a 2.875 diameter pipe down until bedrock or equivalent load bearing strata is hit. After the pipe is installed, a hydraulic manifold system is attached to control the final lift at each pier location. The holes are then backfilled with the original soil, and the mortar joints are tuck pointed.
- Helical type piers
The helical pier can be used the same way except a helix is pushed into the ground until a desired torque is reached.
Helical piers are a great solution where there isn’t a lot of weight. Porch columns are a good example.
- Drill and drop pipe piers
Drill and drop pipe piers are used when thin layers of rock are encountered and cannot be penetrated with the push pipe or the helical. After the desired depth has been reached, the drill bit is removed, and the pipe is installed into the drilled hole.
