Skip to Main Content

Deep Foundation Soils

Surface soils can become weak due to weather or weight, but the deepest soils are sturdy. Here is a quick overview.

Schedule Free Inspection

When your foundation experiences settlement, a professional foundation repair expert will recommend installing a deep foundation stabilizing system, usually known as piers. Soil is made up of layers which have different strengths and qualities. The deeper you go, the more compacted and stronger the soil becomes.

The top layers of soil compress and easily compact – this is where settlement occurs and where you will find problem soils like the loose sandy soils of Florida. The deeper soil layers, like parent rock, are stable and less likely to move. That is why a deep foundation pier system is installed into competent load bearing soils or bedrock.

Organic Matter

The top layer of soil consists of decomposed organic matter that has broken down so much it simply looks like dirt. Dead leaves and other organic materials that have not broken down completely are not included in this category.

Surface Soil

Also called topsoil or humus, it consists of dark, extremely decomposed organic materials. The surface soil is where you will find earthworms, pot worms and forms of fungus and bacteria that are dependent upon plant roots.

Subsoil

This is the layer of soil where you will commonly find clay, expansive or consolidating soils. When your home experiences settlement problems, it is typically due to this layer of soil. Settlement could be caused by the problem soils mentioned above or poor site preparation and construction.

Parent Rock

This section of soil is also known as bedrock. It can contain large rocks and other larger, solid materials. It is much deeper than the other layers and is not typically affected by weather or moisture changes. Bedrock is present beyond the depth that roots can grow, and as a result, does not experience the shrinkage and settlement problems that can occur in other soil layers due to moisture changes. Pier systems and deep soil foundation solutions are installed at this level as a result.

    Contact Us

    For Your Free Inspection

    * All fields are required.

    Contact Alpha Foundations for Deep Soil Foundation Solutions

    Loose surface soils can cause major foundation damage. If left alone, loose soil will eventually cause foundation settlement; eventually, your home will begin to suffer damage as well. Contact Alpha Foundations and request a FREE foundation evaluation. We will confirm if the soil supporting your home is still strong. If not, we have plenty of solutions to stabilize your foundation.

    Contact Our Foundation Experts

    REQUEST A FREE INSPECTION
    REQUEST A FREE INSPECTION

    Publish Date:

    Last Modified Date:

    Alpha Foundations Service Areas

    Proudly Serving Florida & Georgia

    Fort Myers

    1755 Benchmark Ave.
    Fort Myers, FL 33905

    Gainesville

    309 NE 1st St.
    Gainesville, FL 32601

    Jacksonville

    55 North Industrial Loop
    Orange Park, FL 32073

    Miami

    3200 W Copans Rd.
    Pompano Beach, FL 33069

    Orlando

    3723 Hogshead Rd
    Apopka, FL 32703

    Sarasota

    1680 Fruitville Rd.
    Ste. 516
    Sarasota, FL 34236

    Tallahassee

    66 Industrial Park Dr.
    Monticello, FL 32344

    Tampa

    1615 118th Ave. N
    St. Petersburg, FL  33716

    Valdosta

    100 N Patterson St.
    Valdosta, GA 31601

    West Palm Beach

    515 N Flagler Dr.
    Ste. P-300
    West Palm Beach, FL 33401