Clay Foundation Subsidence

Post war two storey right-hand semi-detached property with internal and external walls built using no-fines concrete.

Project Overview

A claim for structural damage was made at this property in 2016 and following a series of intrusive investigations the damage was found to be due to clay shrinkage foundation subsidence exacerbated by the water demands of the large oak trees growing within common land directly in front of the building.

Further investigations found that the heave potential of the site was too great to consider tree removal as part of the mitigation work and crack monitoring over two years found a significant range of seasonal, but progressive damage around the property.

A decision to settle the claim through a traditional piled underpinning scheme was made in 2019.

By the end of 2019 the internal small diameter piles had been successfully installed so that the next phase of work, i.e. the installation of the ground beams into the external walls could commence.

During the attempts to break out the existing foundations to the external walls the contractors noticed vibration throughout the building and they were immediately concerned for the stability of the building and the safety of their workmen.  It was also apparent that the condition of the no-fines concrete and brickwork at foundation level were poor and the concrete was crumbling and falling away during attempts to cut through it.  

The original underpinning scheme had to be amended and series of RC pile caps were installed beneath the existing foundations. The existing piled raft design was then adopted internally once the new caps were formed to act as floor slab and foundation to the internal walls.

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