Excavation Lowering

Several years ago one of our clients approached us to solve a particular problem of which no existing solution existed. An existing postensioned slab had experienced large differential edge heave that was bringing severe damage to the house. A manometer survey indicated that it had as much as 2 ½ inches of floor elevation difference.

Because of the geography and climate in the Metro Phoenix area, heaving is much more prevalent than settlement in a residential setting. Much of symptoms of a heave are mistakenly misidentified as settlement, resulting in scopes of repair that that many times area not consistent with what is really needed.

Over many years of work we have, developed and patented a proprietary process for excavation lowering that can restore and protect a home or other structure from differential heave.

The process consists of:

• Piering around the heaved area
• Excavating under the footings and floor
• Grouting back in ribs 5’ on center
• Installing a cut off wall around the perimeter
• Backfilling and restoration as needed.

We have developed this process over 4 years ago with a perfect performance record on over 12 houses done to date. Over this period of time, we have steadily gained the acceptance of the local engineering community for this scope of work from such notable companies as Terracon, Gervasio & Associates, Felton Engineering, Copperstate Engineering, and many others.

While this type of work is generally reserved for structures that have angular distortions greater than 1:120, it can in those situations have remarkable performance both in the immediate improvement as well as long term performance.