Using Helical Piers When Your House Is Built on Caissons

If you found your way to this page chances are you are considering construction of a walkout basement.  Based on the soils report issued prior to construction when your home was first built, your foundation is either built on a footer or on caissons.

If your soils report determined you have good soil in your area, then a concrete footer was likely used for your foundation.  This simply means that a steel rebar reinforced concrete trench was poured around the perimeter of your home and your foundation walls were built on top of this footer.

If your soil was deemed too expansive (common in Colorado) then there is a good chance your foundation was built on caissons.  This is where deep concrete columns are excavated to bedrock or to more solid soil structures capable of supporting your home.  These columns of concrete and steel deep in the ground provide the stability needed for your foundation,  which is then poured on top of the supporting caissons, usually set every 15 feet around the perimeter of your home.

If your home sits on caissons then we cannot cut a walkout door in your foundation without supporting either side of the threshold with helical piers.  These are required by building authorities to ensure your foundation is not compromised by cutting all the way down to the footer.  Typically these helical piers are ‘screwed’ into the ground 25-30′ deep to achieve adequate pressure to support each side of the foundation where it has been cut.  Large steel collars are then mounted on top of each pier and attached to each side of your new doorway.

The illustration above lets you see what helicals actually look like. Please contact your CMH rep if you would like more information on this process.  Costs average $1,500-$1,800 per pier installed.

Foundation Repairs

Helical piers are also used to support failing foundations.  The illustrations above show how helical piers can be used to repair foundation damage caused by settling which results in cracks and structural damage.  Contact your CMH rep for a free consultation on custom solutions to permanently repair your foundation issues. Our foundation repairs come with a warranty on all of our helical pier systems.