In cooking, it is said that inferior ingredients make an inferior meal. That means that regardless of how you prepare that meal, if you don’t start with the right ingredients, you won’t get the desired outcome. The same is true in our business. If you aren’t using the right materials to repair a foundation, you won’t see the optimal results. It is the combination of ingredients we use in our drilled pier method that make it as successful as it has been. While there are many methods of fixing a foundation, we have found that the drilled pier method is the most effective. But, what sets the drilled pier method apart for a Baton Rouge foundation?
What materials make up those ingredients?
The pier itself is the focal point of what we do. Don’t confuse our piers with the pilings used in the pressed piling method. While those are meant to be stacked on top of one another, our piers are meant to address multiple issues that can arise when dealing with Louisiana soil, while maintaining the structural integrity your home needs. First of all, the pier is made out of re-bar reinforced concrete. This ensures sturdiness while simultaneously going deep enough in the ground to get beneath the active soil. Secondly, the shape of the pier is important as it is wider at the top, which makes it float resistant. In other words, dramatic changes in moisture levels in the ground won’t push it back up. Third, the support of the foundation is concentrated at the bottom of the pier where the soil is naturally its most dense.
Using a steel support along with the pier.
Steel supports, as part of the drilled pier method, are used in large building construction. If they have the strength to be trusted and recommended by structural engineers for a multi-story building, they certainly have the strength to reinforce the foundation of a single family home. But, their strength is just one reason why they are a valuable ingredient. The steel supports we use aren’t susceptible to moisture levels in the ground. Since moisture levels fluctuate the most closer to the surface, they prove to be an effective bridge from the pier to the foundation. They also provide the added benefit of being replaceable if further adjustments are needed down the road.
Of course, the steel supports and re-bar reinforced concrete piers are just the ingredients, you still need the chef to prepare the meal, so to speak. That is where our experience comes in at WCK Foundation repair. With over thirty years’ experience in dealing with Baton Rouge and South Louisiana, we have mastered the recipe of foundation repair. If you have any questions about the drilled pier method, or would like us to assess if you have foundation damage, please call our team at WCK Foundation Repair and we’ll be happy to help.
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