Sinking Home on Lake in Macon, GA Stablized with Helical Piers and SmartJacks

Thursday, January 18th, 2018 by Michael Connolly

Challenge

Edna W. of Macon, GA had been experiencing problems with her foundation since 1992, just two years after it was built. The house was located on a hill, next to a lake. At first, she and her husband hired another company to fix the sinking foundation.

The company dug around the house, poured concrete and added rebar to the concrete, hoping to stabilize the home. It didn't work. The house continued to sink. Edna called Lowcountry Foundation Repair a few years later to find another solution.

Solution

Edna spoke with Brian Townsel, one of our inspectors; she complained that her floors were sinking and creaking. Brian measured the perimeter of the home, inspected the crawl space, and documented what he saw with notes and photographs. Brian also measured the walls inside the home with a laser level.

Brian agreed with Enda. The house was sinking. Brian designed a custom solution for Edna's needs.

Brian recommended installing six helical piers, running the full length on the side of the home near the lake. Three more helical piers would be installed on each side of the newly stabilized wall. To stabilize the floors, Brian recommended installing three SmartJacks in the crawl space and replacing two joists.

The last part of Brian’s design would address the sinking garage. During his inspection, Brian also examined the attached garage. Brian recommended installing four helical piers around the garage to stabilize the area.

Edna decided to have the work done after learning about the high-quality products Lowcountry Foundation Repair uses.

Our helical piers are made of galvanized steel, come with a 25-year warranty, and could easily support the load of Edna’s two-story house. The SmartJacks in the crawl space were also made of galvanized steel and can support over 60,000 lbs. each.

The installation of the helical piers, SmartJacks, and new joists took three days to complete. Edna was thrilled with the job and her home is now safe thanks to Lowcountry Foundation Repair.