Challenge

This 2 story condominium structure, built in 1996, had evidence of settlement in the west elevation. The structure is composed of a wood trussed roof and two levels of floor joist framing over a concrete stem wall foundation. The walls are of conventional 2 x 4 wood frame construction with masonry veneer located near entries. The foundation appeared to have been placed on soil that was poorly compacted or highly saturated.

Solution

The clients supplied Matvey Construction with a Geo-tech report with their engineering recommendations. A visual inspection was then completed with an engineer’s recommendations and design. 27 2” piles were installed to stabilize the foundation. The piles were installed using a 150 retrofit galvanized bracket assembly. The piles were driven with a pd140 air hammer 12’ to 27’. Lastly, a push pier driving hydraulic ram was used to install the final FSI supplied pile to connect pier brackets. Each pier was tested at 22kips without any signs of failure. One pier was tested at 30kips with no signs of failure. The allowable load tested at 10.5 kips for 24 hours. The structure was left stable in areas of work completed and recommendations were made to repair other buildings in the complex due to settlement.