Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 15, 2013 3:08 pm I'm just wondering if anyone has some experience with chemical underpinning and soil stabilization? I purchased my house in 2010 (towards the end of a 10 year drought) and it appeared to be structurally sound. However that summer we had drought breaking rainfall and the outside brickwork started to crack, followed by the internal walls, and the cracking has continued since then. The house is approx 60 years old and on stumps. I've had a number of people look at it and I've been told that the foundations need to be underpinned and the soils (cracking clays) need to be stabilized. I've had quotes from both Uretek (Melbourne) and Urathane Solutions (Adelaide), which are in the vicinity of $10-15k. What I would like to know is whether or not chemical underpinning and soil stabilization is worth the cost? From everything I've read it sounds like a great option, but I'm sure there are cons to it that I'm unaware of?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 2Jan 16, 2013 8:09 am I would be looking to engage a structural engineer or geotech engineer to see what the best course of action would be. I would have thought the first thing you could do is to run a below ground pipe to take away any surface water from the edges of your house so that it's perimeter soil stays relatively dry therefore constant rather than dry - shrink then wet - expand. Some pictures of all four sides of your house showing the ground relative to your house would help a lot too. Stewie Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 3Jan 16, 2013 8:57 am ^^ stewie has it .. one of the products is called geogrout and is pumped in to stablize the moisture content But there are many Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 5Feb 06, 2013 8:04 pm Hey Missybug, I would also love to hear how you get on. We have the same problems. Long story short we bought a place on 10 acres with a small cottage, we noted a fall to one corner and shrinkage cracking to brick work. Soil is extremely reactive with near by large gums. We had a Geotech Engineer from FMG Engineering Adelaide complete a report. The conclusion was removal of some trees and irrigation of soil or wet winters should stop subsidence and possibly right the slope. That was four years ago and still slopes but no worse. Our intention was to add to the existing dwelling at the time, as is a relatively cheap and easy extension. As time went on we decided to build a new house. We have now gone full circle and back to reno. I will have the two companies you have mentioned come to do a quote in the next month. Please keep us up dated. Cheers. Our Build Here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=74037&p=1255246#p1255246 Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 6Apr 14, 2013 1:32 pm Bump.. We had both Uretek and Urathane Solutions come and quote. Uretek quote was pretty hit and miss. I appreciate that they can’t be sure of how much product they need to pump in to raise the building. But their approach appears to be rock up and start pumping. Where as Urathane Solutions spents a day filling and sealing the soil cavities. Then another day for raising, this ensures product doesn’t just flow away. I am still awaiting Urathane Solutions fixed quote. Urathane Solutions seemed to have a far more methodical approach to the job. The Uretek system to me seems that any one with a high pressure pump and access to the product could carry out the task. Has any one else used Urathane Solutions in Adelaide? Would be great to hear of any other happy customers. Thanks. Our Build Here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=74037&p=1255246#p1255246 Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization - has IT WO 7Feb 17, 2015 8:11 am Hi, I have the same problem cracks etc inside and out particularly in one corner. I have had concrete underpinning quotes from $18k to $45k and a chemical quote by Uranthane solutions quote for $28k. I looked at Uratek but so many non favourable comments i have stayed away. I like the Urathane chemical solution as it is so much less destructive as the areas concerned have lots of brick paving under vernadahs and lots of garden but also restricted access. I have searched alot of the net but cannot find any picture samples of completed work or discussions where it has been successful but a few asking for comment like me. The quote concerns me that it has an out clause that if water gets to the area then they cannot be responsible. I live in a relatively dry area (Mornington Vic) almost on the top of a hill, with the house on a cut in about 2 mtrs deep at the deepest point. So i think there is alot of ground water when it is wet and then it dries out. There are no issues I can see with my stormwater etc as i have walked around in heavy rain and there are no overflows. So my question has anyone done the Urathane thing and how successful was it initially and has it worked over time???? Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 8Feb 17, 2015 7:44 pm The problem is if it is reactive soil and is dry when you use a expanding resin or urethane product which lifts your building back then when the soil becomes wet again you will get heaving damage as the soil re hydrates and expands. Conventional underpinning can work burt also deep screw pile underpinning is another option. The best course of action is to get a geotechnical engineer to advise you on the original cause of the problem in the first place rather than jumping to the treating the symptom and not addressing the underlying issue. Mornington is not known to be particularly problematic soil although tree related drying can cause some settlement. Re: Chemical underpinning soil stabilization slgroup.com.au 9Feb 18, 2015 8:27 pm Soil stabilization is performed with compact, electrically-powered equipment. Dustless drilling is easily accomplished for interior applications, and mechanical connections in all components of the injection equipment ensure no loose material. Compared to underpinning, soil stabilization is phenomenally less disruptive. Whereas piering or underpinning repairs often require 8″ diameter holes drilled through floors, and large access pits dug next to foundations, deep soil stabilization only requires 1 5/8″ access holes drilled through floors and 3/8″ diameter injection pipes driven into the soil to be treated. Minimal downtime Because of its compact equipment, fast reaction times and minimal surface disruption, work can easily be scheduled and planned to accommodate an area’s or structure’s normal use. Faster Soil stabilization is generally faster than underpinning repairs or other deep grout injection processes due to its compact equipment and ease of installation. Re: Chemical underpinning soil stabilization slgroup.com.au 10Feb 18, 2015 9:16 pm jamesdale Soil stabilization is performed with compact, electrically-powered equipment. Dustless drilling is easily accomplished for interior applications, and mechanical connections in all components of the injection equipment ensure no loose material. Compared to underpinning, soil stabilization is phenomenally less disruptive. Whereas piering or underpinning repairs often require 8″ diameter holes drilled through floors, and large access pits dug next to foundations, deep soil stabilization only requires 1 5/8″ access holes drilled through floors and 3/8″ diameter injection pipes driven into the soil to be treated. Minimal downtime Because of its compact equipment, fast reaction times and minimal surface disruption, work can easily be scheduled and planned to accommodate an area’s or structure’s normal use. Faster Soil stabilization is generally faster than underpinning repairs or other deep grout injection processes due to its compact equipment and ease of installation. Yes it is good in some circumstances where the soil is not reactive or there is bearing capacity failure but in drying soils and tree drying effect how do you stop heave damage from occuring when the soil is re hydrated and swells . Why is you product called soil stabilisation and not grout/resin injection do you change the chemical structure of the soil ? Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 11Feb 18, 2015 9:28 pm insider The best course of action is to get a geotechnical engineer to advise you on the original cause of the problem in the first place rather than jumping to the treating the symptom and not addressing the underlying issue. Exactly. Look under masonry. http://www.structuraldesigns.com.au/FAQs.htm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 12Apr 10, 2015 6:00 pm Mark Kuchel (owner of Urathane Solutions) worked on our house in 2007. We have a Federation brick home in Northcote (extremely reactive clay soil). During the drought we had cracks, up to an inch wide, throughout our house. The walls are hard-plastered, which adds to their rigidity and therefore their tendency to crack. We tried many things, including watering around the house (this seemed to make things worse!) and installing vents under the floor to improve ventilation. Nothing worked and we were considering demolishing the house. Luckily I found Mark, and he was able to close all the cracks with his injection method. We found him to be very knowledgeable and a perfectionist. He spent extra days on the job to get it right. It was almost miraculous to see the cracks closing before our eyes. The cost was a fraction of traditional concrete underpinning, and very low impact. The method involves drilling holes around the house, injecting the resins, and measuring the resulting movement in the foundations. Mark also injected under some internal walls (they are brick too!) and filled the floorboards so there was no trace. Mark advised us on an innovative method for replastering the cracked areas and told us how to stabilise the moisture around the foundations. This last point is extremely important - you need to remove all plants around the perimeter of the house (minimum 1.5 metres) and protect the perimeter from the rain. This can be done with paving or pond liner. Another point to note is that if you have broken plumbing around the house (we did - the old terracotta pipes) the resin will squeeze into these cracks and cause blockages. We were able to fix these with the help of a plumber. Since 2007 we have had minor hairline cracks in the hard plaster (to be expected with this wall surface), but nothing like the destruction we experienced before Mark's work. Time will tell as to how long the resin holds up - we may need more injections in the future. But we saved the house, so we are well ahead financially, and can afford resin 'maintenance' in the future. Hope that helps with your efforts to repair your home. Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 13Apr 10, 2015 6:01 pm Happy to answer further questions, Cheers Rebecca Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 14Apr 10, 2015 10:11 pm Good to hear it worked How did they manage the problem of bluestone footings?Bluestone footings are individual blocks of stone that will separate and move individually when pressure is applied from below which is what resin injection does. The only method I have heard of working successfully is continuous underpinning in that situation.Did you get any rebound heave from removing your vegetation especially after the resin injection and then again after the drought broke in 2010? Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 15Apr 13, 2015 1:32 pm We didn't have bluestone footings in Northcote (although we did have them in a previous weatherboard house). Our foundations were concrete, 550mm to 800mm deep in different places - completely inadequate for a double brick house on clay soil. As for rebound, we had already removed most of the vegetation in close proximity to the house, and we continue to be vigilant about keeping trees away from the footings. We also installed a 1.5 metre 'skirt' of pond liner around our entire house. On top of this we have put, in different areas, tanbark, pebbles, decking or groundcover. The pond liner keeps the soil surrounding the house dry, and we didn't notice any movement in 2010 when the rain returned. Hope that helps. Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 16Apr 29, 2015 3:02 pm Guys I have the same dilemma, and seeking quotes from Uretek and Urethane Solutions. Missybug, our property too is on stumps and a strip foundation (it is a weatherboard home in Adelaide foothills - unusual for Adelaide). Be keen to hear how things went for you. Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 18May 08, 2015 6:44 pm sorry I missed your post. How did you get on? Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 19May 13, 2015 4:21 pm I have a guy (not Mark) from Urathane Solutions come to visit our property. We have some movement concerns to the soil. He talked the talks and know the stuff about soil stabilization, and I am still waiting for the quote. @rebeccalyoung - thank you for sharing, and how much did they quote you for your repair project? Re: Chemical underpinning and soil stabilization 20May 15, 2015 10:12 am Hi, Update. I went with Urathane Solutions quote of just on $29k. it is a large odd shaped house ( 25 yo) on very reactive soil on almost top of hill with a 1.5m cutin The house has cracked in 5 corners plus an large central internal (not on outside wall) fireplace as well as a verandah slab that had dropped. Mark and his team Luke and Michael were great. They were here for the last 2 weeks and managed to inject under all the locations and level all the brick work. Most of the cracks closed almost completely ( really only a hair line left) and in the worst corner the crack closed but the brick work had twisted slightly when the wall had droped so it did not go back square in the corner. They put a pully system on it and pulled it back in place looks almost new and once cleaned up and re rendered will be perfect. The one crack that did not close the corner was stabilised and leveled and the 2-3mm crack left Mark showed me and I have filled with some Urathane they gave me. The fire place inside they drilled about 8x 20mm holes through the timber floor on one side and the tiles on the other side these are about 500-600 apart and put their rods through and pumped under it foundations to stabilise it they patched the holes so under the carpet/timber side was fine the tiles i am replacing anyway but the patched holes look fine for now. if you wanted to keep your tiles you would have to replace the drilled ones. We were surprised how little mess/dust they created inside. The cracks inside did not all close from the walls being done outside so Mark got under the house and found that about 4-5 central stumps 3-4 meters from the walls had moved from the original soil movement so he used 5 ton jacks to lift the beams closing the cracks and then packing the tops of the stumps and letting the jacks down all cracks stayed completely closed whereas some you could put your finger in before. With all this movement a couple of doors had been previously fitted to allow for the past soil movement so they were now very stiff to open/close. The guys took them off then shaved the bottom slight so they all now work perfectly. The verandah proved to be a problem although their injection system lifted it easily the slab got stuck on something and with the electronic measuring system they use to 100th of a mm we could see the slab start to bow slightly in the centre they stopped any pressure and it came back but they did not want to pump anymore. We could not see anything that was stopping it in the very confined space. So to fix the problem to level it without any damage they took the edge bullnose tiles off (only breaking one of about 50 or so) cleaned them for re use and cut the bricks to level with the slab with outer edge brick wall. So they have just left today where all the work was done out side was brick paving they took up the bricks where they worked and put them back when they finished so now there is no indication they have been there. The stuff looks strange when they do it as some bubbles out of places you dont expect as it is following the chanels in the soil and filling all these before they start to lift, this is part of the stabilisation closing the access for future water. As Mark explains in my case over the long term water will make new chanels in the soil somewhere so you have to address the water issues by having adequate stormwater system and a possibly separate grate/sump system and all paving sloping away from the house so water runs away not towards. You can also put down pond liner under the paving up to the house walls to stop water as well. Urathane Solutions who came over from Adelaide ( i am in Mt Eliza Melbourne) guys were excellent to work with and did a great job. They travel all over Australia. so far so good glad its all done.. Now i have to address the stormwater and my cracked fibreglass pool damn reactive soil. 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