Concrete Repair | Underpinning Adelaide

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Concrete Repair in Adelaide

It seems like owning a house means always learning something new. Have you noticed some cracks around the foundation area? Isn’t it a little intimidating? The only way to really know if you have a serious problem is to contact a reputable concrete repair company like Underpinning Adelaide.

A licensed, qualified structural engineer will be assigned to review your foundation to see if it needs some help to stabilise it. The term you will hear is underpinning. This is the process to install deeper footings to prevent any movement. To answer the previous question: Yes, it is intimidating.

What is Underpinning

Underpinning is a process that a construction company will use to help a building become and remain stable. It adds additional footings beside or under the building. This can be a residence or a commercial building.

Why does it happen? Usually because the soil that the structure sits on is or has become less stable over time. The underpinning will be located into soil that is firmer and the additional supports will make the building more secure. It is also sometimes because the existing footings were insufficient.

How Does it Work?

A concrete repair company in Adelaide will dig new holes to hold concrete piers. These will be about 2 to 3 meter centers and placed around the outside of the house. Sometimes it is also necessary to install underpins inside the house. They will need to be deep enough to access soil that is strong enough to support the building’s weight.

After the footings are sunk, they will be attached to the structure. By digging under the existing footings, the contractor will create a prop between the two. Each pier and prop are reinforced with reinforcing rods or bars and filled with concrete. If it is necessary to reinforce the underpinnings in the centre of the house, it will take digging through the slab.

Using a superior concrete repair company like Underpinning Adelaide, you will find they are able to place the new underpins so that the house can be jacked up to level. In fact this levelling will often close up the settlement cracks that alerted you to the problem in the first place. This won’t happen every time, but the engineer can give you an indication of whether or not it will work.

The number of underpins required will vary by each house or commercial building and will depend on the soil structure, amount of current damage, and the expertise of the engineer. For a home that needs 10 underpinnings, you should expect it to take about two weeks. If the entire house needs work, plan on about a month. Each situation is unique.

What is carbonation and how does it affect your concrete?

The repair of concrete “cancer” or spalling requires a high level of expertise and experience to achieve a successful repair. Spalling is when the steel reinforcement suffers carbonation (corrosion).

Carbonation occurs as concrete ages when carbon dioxide from the atmosphere reacts with the calcium hydroxide of the hardened mix leading to a chemical reaction which results in the formation of calcium carbonate. This process leads to corrosion and expansion of the steel, which causes the concrete around it to crack and spall off.

This can occur in concrete footings and structures and should be addressed as soon as possible to minimise the remediation required.

For the best company in Adelaide, contact Underpinning Adelaide. One of our concrete repair professionals will be happy to inspect your foundation and building and develop a perfect plan that will give you the most successful results. We have been in business for several years and are able to deal with internal, external and combination underpinnings. We have significant experience dealing with insurance companies and will be happy to work with a Loss Adjuster for the benefit of the owner.