Commercial Foundation Repair

Foundation problems can be some of the most difficult issues to diagnose and solve. The foundation of your business is so crucial that an undetected foundation issue can cause an irreparable amount of damage, threatening the structural integrity of your facility and millions of dollars worth of assets. That’s why you should call Alpha Foundations as soon as you expect you have a foundation problem. Our experts are here to help you diagnose the problem before it becomes a disaster, saving you time and money and making sure you, your employees, and customers stay safe.

Prevent costly foundation damage with Alpha Foundations! Call us today or request a free estimate online.

Our Commercial Foundation Services

Our trained experts are equipped to perform thorough inspections to know just the right solutions for your commercial building foundation needs. Our commercial foundation solutions include:

• Helical tension anchors
• Helical pile installation
• Push (resistance) pier systems
• Engineering services and support
• Load testing
• Foundation design
• Foundation restoration
• And more!

After conducting a thorough inspection to get to the root of your foundation problem, we’ll recommend the perfect solution for your commercial foundation.

Don’t wait to get started on foundation repairs for your business in Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, or Jacksonville. Call Alpha Foundations today!

Commercial Foundation Support Solutions

When you’re looking for quality and long-lasting foundation support, you can depend on Alpha Foundations. As a Groundworks contractor, we offer an array of foundation products to not only help fix existing structures but also provide comprehensive solutions for new construction projects.

These include:

• Helical piles/helix piers
• Helical/tieback anchors
• Push pier/underpinning systems
• Soil nails

Our innovative solutions are designed and rigorously tested according to all applicable standards. Once they’ve been professionally installed by our team, you can expect our solutions to be long-lasting and perform at superior levels.

Helical Anchors

Helical Anchors (also referred to as tiebacks) provide lateral stability to foundation walls and retaining walls with unbalanced earth pressures. Helical anchors can be installed with hand-held equipment, mini-excavators, skid steers, backhoes, track hoes, or crane-supported rigs so the anchors can be installed in almost any application. This versatility, along with the ability to immediately load and test the anchors, make helicals a convenient and economical solution for a wide variety of projects.

ADVANTAGES

• Predictable capacity
• Helix blade configuration selected to achieve design embedment and capacity
• All-weather installation
• Can be installed in areas of limited or tight access
• Installation does not generate spoils
• Clean installation with no messy grout
• Load tests can be performed immediately following installation
• Available with optional hot-dip galvanizing for added corrosion protection

Helical anchors are a factory-manufactured steel foundation system consisting of a central shaft with one or more helix-shaped bearing plates, commonly referred to as blades, welded to the lead section. Extension shafts, with or without additional helix plates, are used to extend the anchor into competent load-bearing soils. Helical anchors are advanced (“screwed”) into the ground with the application of torque.

The terms helical piles, screw piles, helical piers, helical anchors, helix piers, and helix anchors are often used interchangeably by specifiers. However, the term “pier” more often refers to a helical foundation system loaded in axial compression, while the term “anchor” more often refers to a helical foundation system loaded in axial tension.

Helix Blade Geometry

Groundworks’ helical anchors feature blades manufactured with a true helix shape conforming to the geometry criteria of ICC-ES AC358. The leading and trailing edges of true helix blades are within a one-quarter inch of parallel to each other and any radial measurement across the blade is perpendicular to the anchor shaft. A true helix shape along with proper alignment and spacing of the blades is critical to minimize soil disturbance during installation.

Conversely, blades that are not a true helix shape are often formed to a ‘duckbill’ appearance. These plates create a great deal of soil disturbance and do not conform to the helix geometry requirements of ICC-ES AC358 since their torque to capacity relationships are not well documented.

Commercial Push Piers

The Groundworks Push Pier System utilizes high-strength round steel tubes and a load transfer bracket (retrofit foundation repair bracket) to stabilize and/or lift sinking or settling foundations. The foundation bracket is secured against the existing footing and pier sections are driven hydraulically through the foundation bracket and into the soil below using the combined structural weight and any contributory soil load as resistance. Pier sections are continuously driven until a suitable load-bearing stratum is encountered. At that point, the structure either begins to lift or the target pressure/load is achieved. The weight of the structure is then transferred from the unstable soil to the foundation brackets, through the piers, and to firm load-bearing soil or bedrock.

Our Push Pier System develops a factor of safety against pier settlement by the pier installation methods used and the sequence with which multiple piers are driven and then re-loaded. Piers are first driven individually using the maximum weight of the structure and any contributory soil load. After all of the piers are driven, the piers are re-loaded simultaneously, and the total reaction load is distributed over the multiple pier locations. Since the average load on each pier during the load transfer operation is less than the load during pier installation/driving, a factor of safety against settlement is achieved. Typical factors of safety against pier settlement range from about 1.5 to 3.0, with higher values, generally achieved for structures with greater rigidity. These factors of safety conservatively ignore any additional long-term frictional component to the pier’s capacity (see below for more information).

Design Considerations

Push piers are installed directly adjacent to the existing structure utilizing side-load brackets. This introduces eccentricity into the system. Our Push Pier System incorporates an external sleeve at the top of the pier to aid in resisting the bending forces generated by this loading condition. This helps preserve the axial compressive capacity of the pier shaft. The external sleeve extends through and below the foundation bracket to essentially create a bracket that is 48 inches tall.

The moment or bending force is localized within a relatively short distance below the bracket. Although the bending force is dissipated quickly by the pier bearing against the confining soil, it is significant and cannot be ignored. The depth or length of sleeve and pier over which the bending force dissipates is a function of the soil stiffness near the surface. The depth is greater in soft clay and loose sand, and less in stiff clay and dense sand. In soft or loose soils, a small portion of the bending force may be transferred to the pier below the sleeve, thereby reducing the pier’s allowable axial compressive capacity. A modified, lower capacity system is also available with a shorter, 30-inch long sleeve for low headroom applications.

Friction Reducing Collar

The first pier section advanced into the ground includes a larger-diameter “friction reducing collar” welded to the lead end. This collar, being larger in diameter than the pier tube, effectively creates annular space around the pier as it is advanced through most clayey soils. In soft clay or clean sand and gravel, an annular space may only temporarily be created. However, the larger diameter collar causes soil disturbance or remolding to occur, which also significantly reduces frictional resistance on the outside surface of the pier during driving. The result is a driven pier that generates most of its capacity in end bearing. Over time, the soils surrounding the pier relax back into the annular space and against the pier shaft. This provides an additional frictional component to the pier’s capacity. Even though this frictional capacity may be significant, it is conservatively ignored in the determination of the pier’s factor of safety against pier settlement.

Warning Signs of Foundation Problems

While we offer a large variety of services, we understand that it can be difficult for building owners to know what service they need, let alone even knowing whether or not you have a foundation issue in the first place. The following list includes signs to look out for, and if you notice any of these, you’ll likely need foundation repairs.

Interior warning signs:

• Floors are uneven or sloping.
• Cracks are showing on the floor or wall.
• Walls are bowing inward.
• Floors over the crawl space are sagging.
• Windows and doors are hard to open.

Exterior warning signs:

• The chimney is tilting.
• Exterior walls have cracks.
• There are street creeps.

At Alpha Foundations, we leave no stone unturned when conducting thorough inspections to ensure that no foundational problems fall under the radar.

Choose Alpha Foundations for Commercial Foundation Services

We’ve been providing exceptional commercial foundation services throughout Florida and Georgia since 2002, delivering only the best. But don’t take our word on it. Feel free to check out the awards we’ve been given for our services, business ethics, and quality assurance. We are also happy to offer financing options so that money is never a barrier to getting the commercial foundation services you need. 

Never worry again about the foundation of your commercial building with Alpha Foundations! Contact us today to schedule your free quote.

Find your service area

Fort Myers, FL

Fort Myers is known as a vacation destination, but foundation problems are no day at the beach. If your home’s foundation, crawl space, or concrete is damaged, Alpha Foundations can help permanently repair and protect these essential structures with the best solutions.

Jacksonville, FL

Humidity, year-round rain, and unstable soil are common culprits behind crawl space, foundation, and concrete damage in homes throughout Jacksonville. Alpha Foundations has the reliable solutions your home needs for permanent stability and protection.

Miami, FL

Miami is a tropical oasis getaway for many, but the humidity, rain, and unstable soil in the area are problematic for homes. Ensure your home is properly prepared to weather the storm with permanent solutions available from Alpha Foundations.

West Palm Beach, FL

West Palm Beach boasts beautiful Atlantic views and tropical breezes, but often volatile weather and soil conditions threaten home stability. Repair and protect your foundation, concrete, and crawl space with professionally engineered and installed solutions.

Valdosta, GA

Valdosta has sandy soil and high moisture year-round. This combination can damage your home causing cracks and structural issues in your home's foundation.

Tampa, FL

While Tampa is a beautiful Gulf city, its humid, wet, hurricane-prone weather and unstable sandy soil can lead to significant damage throughout your home. Repair the damage and protect your home for good with Alpha Foundations’ customizable permanent solutions.

Tallahassee, FL

Humid and wet Tallahassee weather coupled with sandy soil creates problems for homes’ foundations, concrete, and crawl spaces. Combat the damage from these forces with trusted, customizable, long-lasting repairs from our local experts at Alpha Foundations.

Panama City, FL

Beautiful beaches and warm breezes draw many to Panama City, but the area’s wet, humid weather and sandy soils can lead to damage that impacts your entire home. Alpha Foundations provides the best solutions that permanently repair and protect your property.

Gainesville, FL

Gainesville homeowners take pride in their homes. It’s important to fix foundation problems as soon as possible before they get worse. The experts at Alpha can help.

Orlando, FL

If you live in the muggy, sandy environment that Orlando, Florida has to offer, there is a good chance that the foundation, the concrete, and the crawl space of your home will experience some type of damage.

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