Cypress Point
Retainer Wall
Problem:
House constructed approx. 10′ below driveway and street elevation.
Existing retainer wall constructed from railroad tie units.
Ties were shifting towards structure and threatening to collapse against home.
Solution:
Place recycled tires on portion of house in front of retainer wall.
Cover tires with plywood to create a barrier in case ties shifted during demolition.
Removed select portions of railroad tie wall.
Installed concrete forcing.
Formed, reinforced and poured new concrete retainer wall to take the place of failed railroad tie units.
Installed drain system with discharge pipe behind concrete wall to keep water from building up behind wall.
This retainer wall was completely dismantled and reconstructed by hand. Limited access prohibited the use of any machinery.
New retainer wall was moved back from the house approx. 14″ to create a walkway for homeowner.
Parkway
Basement Foundation
Problem:
Structure was in flood plain and often had water in the crawl space.
Structure was resting approximately 11′ below street level making it impossible to divert water around the foundation.
Solution:
Raise structure approximately 13′.
Construct Parking/Storage area below living space.
Install steel I-beams to reduce or eliminate support posts at center of structure.
Construct elevated walkway to allow street level access to home.
Stratford Hills
Basement/ Deep Drilled Concrete Piers/ Foundation
Problem:
Relatively new home shifting approx. 4″ towards the street.
Clay extending approx. 48′ below surface causing or contributing to movement.
Major cracking in marble flooring, sheet rock and around windows.
Solution:
Installed piers at perimeter and at interior load points.
Piers drilled to rock layer located approx. 50′ below the surface.
Structure lifted back to level position using 50 ton hydraulic jacks.
Since major excavation beneath structure was required to facilitate pier installation, owner opted to capture this additional space in the form of a basement.
Approx. 500 cubic yards of materials were removed to create basement area.
Suspended concrete slab was formed and poured.
Existing concrete beam was extended down to newly constructed slab.
Waterproofing and drain system installed behind concrete beam to keep water from entering basement area.
Westmoor Steel
Miscellaneous
Problem:
Owner wanted access to back yard without any support beams or posts that would block their view.
Structure had settled several inches due to shifting clay beneath the foundation.
Solution:
Install deep drilled concrete piers beneath concrete slab.
Install steel I-beam and posts to carry weight of structure without blocking the view.
West Avenue
Basements
Problem:
Historic building in downtown Austin needed to convert crawl space to basement while retaining historic designation.
Solution:
Raised structure 3-4′.
Installed drilled piers into rock approximately 14′ below grade.
Installed steel I-Beam supports on steel columns.
Lowered level of soil in crawl space.
Poured concrete slab in new basement area.
Water proofed subterranean portions of basement and installed drains.
Forty First
Deep Drilled Concrete Piers
Problem:
100 year old pier and beam house in central Austin in dire need of remodeling.
Existing foundation incapable of supporting new loads.
Significant movement of existing piers.
Structure approx. 4″ our of level.
Additional square footage needed.
Solution:
Install drilled piers into rock layer located approx. 17′ below surface.
Install steel I-Beams in place of wooden beams.
Pour concrete columns to extend drilled shafts to support steel I-Beams.
Additional piers were drilled outside the footprint of main structure. Steel I-Beams were used to connect pier columns.
Windsor Road East
Foundation
Problem:
Solution: