Underpinning can help keep non-moving households in place
With few British households planning on moving house in the next year, those considering home improvements might want to invest in underpinning if they see any evidence of subsidence in their property.
Subsidence can be spotted in several ways, from windows that have become hard to close due to shifting frames, to crumbling and cracked masonry.
If left unchecked, the situation can worsen, leading to structural instability in the worst cases – such as for homes built at the tops of hills, or on land prone to erosion.
According to figures from Nationwide Building Society, just 8% of householders intend to move in the next 12 months.
However, 47% are planning home improvements, 9% of which are likely to involve structural work as they seek to add extra living space to their property.
Underpinning can help to ensure the stability of structures while work takes place around them – particularly if any excavation is required.
And with mini piling rigs, the heaviest piling equipment can be kept off-site, with compact rigs used instead to minimise disruption and vibration.
Underpinning techniques can protect structures near demolition work
Underpinning techniques can be an important part of the demolition process – not on the building being brought down, but on surrounding structures.
According to newly updated guidance from the Health and Safety Executive, uncontrolled collapse is a major risk during demolition work, and applies not only to the main structure due for demolition.
“The structural survey should consider … nearby buildings or structures,” the HSE advises.
“The method statement for the demolition should identify the sequence required to prevent accidental collapse of the structure.”
In practice, this is one of the fundamental stages in any demolition work, and the HSE adds that structural engineers should assess the entire site before any work is allowed to begin.
Where any concerns are raised about nearby buildings, underpinning techniques may be used to ensure they remain stable from their foundations in the face of any vibrations as their neighbouring structure is brought down.
Underpinning can also restore some strength to structures that have shifted during heavy nearby construction or demolition work – allowing you to make them usable once again if the initial survey did not identify the problem of them becoming damaged.
Construction piling prepares for another wet weekend
If your plans for the weekend have been hampered by severe weather warnings, spare a thought for construction piling work that had been scheduled to take place over the past few weeks.
At a time of year that is usually warm and dry, we have had unprecedented levels of rainfall in short bursts, and it’s likely to rank among the wettest summers on record by the end of the season.
For construction piling works, that means a flexible approach is required, to avoid pouring liquid concrete into waterlogged ground.
One option is to use pre-cast concrete and steel piles, with professional piling equipment to drive these deep into the earth.
By using pre-cast piles that have been set in controlled conditions, away from extremes of the elements, you can avoid unnecessary extra pile testing once they are in place.
Instead, standard pile testing should be enough to ensure that your foundations are solid – even if the soil around them is a little soggier than usual.
And in places where the ground has been permanently affected by the recent soaking, underpinning methods can restore essential strength to structures.
With further rain warnings in place across the south of England and as far north as the Humber, we’re ready to offer our underpinning methods wherever they’re needed in the days and weeks to come.
More weather dismay heightens need for underpinning
Underpinning of foundations remains a likely prospect for buildings of all kinds in areas of the UK, following a month of stark contrast in terms of rainfall.
With heavy rains frequently forecasted by meteorologists, weather warnings for the whole country issued by the Met Office, and images of flooding making the news, you could be forgiven for thinking the deluges have been nationwide.
However, the Met Office has confirmed that, although June was the wettest on record in Wales and Northern Ireland, and for the UK as a whole, it was only the second-wettest in English history, and ranked just eighth on Scotland’s records list.
In certain parts of the north-west UK, it was actually one of the driest months since records began, with a few wet days at the end of the month just tipping the scales past the all-time lows seen by several weather stations.
Either way, it is these extremes of weather – rather than moderate and consistent levels of rainfall and sunshine – that can leave soil either waterlogged, and therefore less stable, or dried out and more prone to crumbling.
For properties in the worst-affected areas, it could be wise to check whether structural stability has held in this year of stark contrast, or whether underpinning methods may be needed to restore strength to foundations.