Underpinning: Who, When and Why
Posted on: 24 February 2020
Underpinning is a common method used during foundation repairs. The underpinning exercise is done to strengthen the foundation of a building, which may be necessitated by several factors.
The repeated occurrence of diagonal cracks on residential floors is one of the most common signs of foundation-related problems that create the need for an underpinning exercise. Find out more about the foundation underpinning in the article below.
Whom to Trust for Foundation Underpinning
Due to the delicate nature of foundation-related repairs, you need to ensure that the right professional does an underpinning exercise. In this case, the best person to supervise a foundation underpinning exercise would be a registered structural engineer. This is because a foundation underpinning exercise is bound to affect the stability of any building, thereby affecting how safe such a building will be once the exercise is complete.
Your regular foundation repair contractor might be good at foundation crack repair, but he or she is not likely to have the technical knowledge required for an underpinning exercise
When to Undertake Foundation Underpinning
Matters related to repairs are not the only reason you would need foundation underpinning services. Remember that underpinning is done to increase the weight-bearing capacity of your foundation.
Therefore, you might need underpinning services if you intend to make major changes to the structure of your house, which are expected to affect the overall stability of the building. For example, your foundation might have to be underpinned if you intend to incorporate an underground basement or an additional floor into the structure of your house.
Underpinning might also be necessary if the condition of soil below your foundation has changed due to settlement, erosion, landslips and even nearby excavation-related activities. That said, foundation repair is often the most common reason for underpinning.
Why Underpinning Is Beneficial
The main beneficial reason associated with the foundation underpinning is that it is an economical alternative. Underpinning offers you the possibility of working on a defective foundation as it is rather than having to build a new foundation.
If the foundation is not defective, underpinning becomes beneficial because it allows you to make modifications to the structure of your home without having a negative impact on the structural integrity of the building.
If you need underpinning for foundation repair, remember that the sooner you get to it, the less costly the cost of foundation repair will be. Keep this in mind the next time you're working on your repairs.
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