One construction phase that is crucial to most projects is the establishment of the footings. Footings are a vital part of foundation construction intended to support the entire weight of a residential, commercial, or industrial building. They distribute the weight from the walls and other parts of the building, ensuring that it will be solid. Failure to distribute the weight of a property will only lead to cracked walls, sagging walls, and others.

Some Contractors Do Not Add Footings

Given the importance of footings, contractors are expected to set them up before proceeding with other steps of the construction process. There are some of them, however, that do not add and pour the said foundation components. Even with the additional support to existing footings, they would still fail in supporting and distributing the weight of the property. This issue will then lead to the quick deterioration of the property components.

The best way to acquire proper support for the building is to hire a contractor that pours footings on site. Doing this does not only provide ample support to the property but also protects it from the ground and dwelling vibrations.

Long-Term Footing Stability is Essential

But the effectiveness of footings must not end with the early years of a property. They must be able to stay intact and stable for years to ensure that they remain functional for a long time.

Since footings are normally made from concrete with rebar reinforcement, they can truly withstand damaging elements for a specific amount of time. And with their primary composition, they are normally utilised in construction sites that boast troublesome soils.

Contributing to the stability of the footings are their dimensions. Their proper depth and width should be pinpointed by experts so they can remain stable for a long time. These experts would normally determine their dimensions by matching them with the size and type of building or outdoor feature that will be constructed above them.

CracKontrol Can Stabilise the Footings

If your property currently sits on top of quality footings, you can expect the whole structure to last for a long time. However, you must keep in mind that they can still be damaged, especially if they are exposed to uncontrolled moisture for a long time.

When moisture continues to infiltrate the surroundings of the footings, it can inevitably soften the foundation where the footings are located. The footings will then become unstable. If they are too wet, instances of settlement may occur. They may also swell. The entry of moisture into these areas may be caused by the perforated aggregate and drainpipe’s failure to flow into collection pits.

The implementation of CracKontrol, alternatively, can resolve any issues with water flow as it maximises a concrete liner that dams up the surface and subsurface seepage. It then guides moisture to a half-embedded PVC pipe above the concrete, ensuring that the water will flow directly from pits to the stormwater system instead of infiltrating the footings.

To know more about CracKontrol and what we can do for you, you can contact us at The Underpinning Engineers.

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Given the importance of footings, contractors must do everything to make them durable and long-lasting. However, if you or others spot some cracks on your walls and other parts of your property, you may have to hire some experts who can fix your footings.

Without fixing your footings, your property may swiftly sink into the ground. Footing issues may likewise lead to structural damages that can be costly to repair.

Primary Causes of Failing Footings

Failing footings, which can be identified by the existence of cracks, are often caused by faulty foundations. Once the foundation layer moves and shifts, the footings on top will also move and displace, leading to cracks and other similar damages.

So, what makes the foundation layer faulty?

One root cause of the faulty foundation is evaporation. Hot and dry conditions of the surroundings often push the soil to move and pull away from the foundation. As the movement of the soil continues, it can eventually lead to moisture imbalance, causing cracks to appear through the structure including the footings.

A faulty foundation may also happen due to transpiration. Trees, shrubs, and other greeneries located near the foundation can also affect its overall moisture levels. Once these greeneries dehydrate the soil beneath the property, the soil underneath will shrink, causing the property to settle. Drainage issues, plumbing leaks, poor site preparation, poor soil conditions, and poor ground preparation can also contribute to faulty foundations.

Deep Pinning as the Main Solution

Numerous methods can be used to resolve failing footings and faulty foundations. These methods include the conventional underpinning method, jacketing the foundations, property lifting and levelling, and concrete levelling.

But these methods can still sometimes fail. They may even make everything worse, leading to more foundation and footing issues that can be costly to repair. One innovative process that can address footing problems is the Deep Pinning process.

Deep Pinning is the process of driving large solid steel reinforcing bars through the ground until they hit the bedrock. Once these bars are set, they will then be integrated into the footings, making the latter stable and independent from the foundation layer. If the footings have already obtained some cracks, they can now be raised and fixed due to Deep Pinning.

What makes Deep Pinning good is that it is unaffected by changing ground conditions caused by leaking pipes, tree roots, geological anomalies, and seasonal variations. This process is even great for problematic sites like swampland. Ultimately, Deep Pinning is assured to resolve footing issues permanently, which saves plenty of resources and even lives.

Deep Pinning offers a permanent solution to repair failed footings, contact us at The Underpinning Engineers for more information.

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High-quality footings allow the buildings’ foundation to be supported optimally. Additionally, the same footings can prevent settling and allow even load distribution. Now, if building owners or occupants notice some cracks on their walls and other structural components of their properties, their footings may have obtained some issues. Footing issues might have also developed if the buildings experience sudden movement.

One conventional solution to footing issues is underpinning. It involves the excavation of a large hole under the footing so it can be filled with concrete. This solution, however, can make everything worse, resulting to further cracking and movement.

Deep Pinning as the Modern Alternative

One alternative to the process of underpinning is Deep Pinning. Deep Pinning System is a newly patented and innovative process that directly addresses the root cause of faulty footings. It serves as the best replacement for conventional underpinning and other old processes.

Deep Pinning is carried out by driving large diameter, solid steel reinforcing bars down through the ground until they reach the bedrock or very solid and firm materials. These bars or pins are integrated with the footings of the building, which make them independent of the unstable foundation materials. This integration can also provide a surface wherein the damaged footings can be raised and repaired without encountering more problems.

When compared to the traditional underpinning process, the Deep Pinning process is much more capable of holding the footings since they are supported directly by the bedrock. Conventional underpinning, alternatively, still makes the whole footing area vulnerable to issues since the new concrete below it remains dependent on an unstable foundation.

Deep Pinning System Primary Benefits

By implementing the Deep Pinning System, building owners with property footing problems can gain numerous benefits.

One of the benefits of implementing the Deep Pinning System is it can permanently repair the footings. As mentioned earlier, the traditional underpinning process does not provide a reliable solution for footing problems since it only relies on an unstable foundation. The Deep Pinning process, alternatively, depends on the sturdier bedrock in providing a solid surface for the footings. Even after a few decades, the footings are expected to stay intact with Deep Pinning.

The Deep Pinning System can likewise require minimal resources compared to conventional underpinning. The modern system only utilises less concrete, cutting the amount of money spent on the materials. It even reduces the time needed for repairs as the entire process can already be finished in a few days or even hours.

Deep Pinning is also versatile as it can be applied to various property conditions. For one, it can be done in property areas found in problematic and deep clay sites. This innovative approach can even be utilised for indoor and tight access sites.

To know more about this innovative system, just contact us at The Underpinning Engineers.

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• Most underpinning repairs we undertake are to footings which are well specified – even generous footings are susceptible to significant settlement if the foundation conditions change.  No footing can suspend itself above a settled foundation for more than a metre or two before breaking and allowing settlement.  Infact, concrete footings need to crack (on the tension side of the footing – typically the top face) before the internal steel reinforcing even starts to help the situation.  Often this consolidation, while deemed acceptable by the codes of Standards Australia, is enough for a brick wall to rotate outwards and cause significant cracking and destabilisation.

• Requires far less concrete than alternative underpinning methods, which in doing so, apply additional pressure on the already unreliable soil profile and leave the footing susceptible to further movement should ground conditions keep changing.

• Can be easily customised in the number of load-bearing pins installed and varying ‘angle from vertical’ to suit on-site loading and geological variations, providing an efficient solution every time.  Deep Pinning has penetrated through firm clay, swampland and deep sandunes to name a few, many as deep as 22m.

• The process of underpinning over an area produces a defined ‘bedrock depth profile’ which allows any premature refusal on ‘floaters’ or other unreliable strata to be identified as a clear deviation from the norm and structural compensations made.  In addition, the softness of the profile at various depths invariably pinpoints the location of the failure layer so that repairs can be made to leaking pipes or drainage issues.   This action thereby prevents the problem from spreading to other footings.  Logging of the depth where soft layers exist allows upstream cut-off drain depths to be specified so seepage can be intercepted in an attempt to protect the remainder of the property.  It provides a full soil profile health assessment.

• Several clients in recent years have had their underpinning FULLY COVERED by their house insurance due to our unique ability to confidently identify the scope of the below-ground issues and the ultimate cause.  Deep Pinning not only fixes the problem – guaranteed – it can be virtually free…

• Alternative underpinning systems are often more costly, less effective and include limitations, exclusions and legal disclaimers simply because they stop short of addressing the cause of the failure.  Why  compromise when a superior solution is available?

• The Deep-pinning Advanced Underpinning System was conceived, developed and patented by a Specialist Geotechnical Engineer working in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and carries a Unconditional Performance Guarantee on bedrock – an industry first.

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A recent project in Sandy Bay, Hobart had some new paving laid around the sides and rear of the property some years ago.  The plumber unfortunately did not seal the outlet pipe for a storm-water pit serving 3 agricultural drains and a garage roof downpipe so seepage could escape unseen from between the pipe and the rough cut of the base of the hole in the pit, flowing freely into the downstream pipework trenches.  As the pipes passed quite near to the side the house, over time the moisture saturated the heavy clays down to the founding depth of the generous footings.  As the pavers were laid on a concrete slab, no surface rutting due to the moisture softening was evident although rising damp in the brickwork was an important clue.  Eventually the house settled along this side and starting tugging on the abutting external and internal walls.  When the first jacking underpin hole was created, water was flowing into the excavation like we had burst a mains water pipe – it had clearly been collecting in the surrounding clays for some time.

An alternative underpinning company had previously attempted to raise the footings, however, as they had no way of assessing the problem and the scope of the situation, were not able to treat the cause.  Subsequently, the problem remained even though there was a false impression the symptoms had been treated.   This is one of many examples where “Deep Pinning” and its all important processes, demonstrates its ‘holistic engineering’ approach to underpinning – finding the intrinsic cause of the problem is equally (if not more) important than treating the symptoms.  In this example the clients were just as relieved the source of the settlement was addressed (their mood somewhat helped by the repairs being fully covered by insurance) and not at all worried about the cracking itself, as it should be.

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I offer a wholistic approach to footing repairs, putting myself in the ‘footings’ of the house and trying to determine what has caused the change in behaviour.  Most people are surprised to learn that most homes I assess do not require underpinning either because the original trigger which lead to the movement has been repaired in the past or that something as simple as blocked gutters, garden taps left dripping or rainfall run-off from a neighbours’ driveway is creating the foundation imbalance.  We always endeavour to treat the cause of the problem AND the symptoms.

Thank you for visiting the site.  I hope the information I have gleamed from over 20 years of specialised experience as a site-based Geotechnical Engineer helps you decide on the best possible solution.  Be assured that being bound by the Institution of Engineers Australia’s code of ethics, advice I provide is genuine, professional and the most cost effective in the long term.

I am very proud of the underpinning system I have developed over many years and believe it has revolutionised the field of underpinning for the better – I look forward to helping you if required in the future.”

Michael O’Halloran  BE (UTAS) PEng. HIA Member.

Owner, The Underpinning Engineers. Inventor of Deep Pinning.

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