Photo Album: Helical Piers Fix Garage Cracks in Grand Rapids, MI

This garage was slowly splitting in half and the concrete slabs were breaking apart. The cracks and unevenness were being caused by the soil moving underneath (known as settling). To permanently stabilize and lift the garage to its original position, we installed helical piers inside and outside of the building.  Helical piers are fantastic, long, steel cylinders with two round blades wrapped around the end of each pier that help it reach 9 or more feet down into the soil.  Our system design specialist mapped out the best areas to install these long steel cylinders and from there we dug out to the bottom of the garage's foundation. After, we used a pressurized water (hydraulic) system to shoot the piers down into load-bearing soil, that has never been affected. We then attached a bracket to the foundation of the garage and connected it to the pier. It's like snapping two lego pieces together to make a bigger piece; the bracket and pier work together to move the garage to its original position as well as stabilizing the foundation.  Overall, instead of getting a whole new foundation, we provided a lasting solution that closed the cracks that were created.