Imagine discovering your building had settled and you were facing imminent building failure — meaning the business may have to shut its doors. A portion of the Thrive Fitness building in Anacortes was built on unsuitable fill and was experiencing “differential settlement” of up to 7 inches in less than 15 feet.
Chad Fisher Construction was hired to design a solution and correct the issue. In order to allow the fitness center to remain operational, a temporary full-height air and dust barrier partition wall was erected to separate the portion of the fitness center not affected by differential settlement from the construction zone. Our crew worked outside of normal hours during several phases of work, allowing the fitness center to remain open for business during construction.
Pilings take place of unstable soil
To complete the structural repairs, more than 6,000 square feet of concrete slab was completely removed to expose the perimeter and interior structural footings. Helical pilings were driven down to solid bearing soil around the footings, and, using hydraulic jacks, the building footings were lifted to within the desired tolerances. The existing foundation was then attached to the driven helical piling with pre-manufactured brackets.
Pilings were driven on a grid, so that both the building and the concrete slab were now bearing on the piling instead of the unsuitable soils under the building, ensuring that the differential settlement would not occur again. A geotechnical engineer was on site during the entire sequence, monitoring and approving the installation of the helical pile and the lifting of the structure.
After the structural repairs were completed, CFC restored both the exterior and interior of the building to like-new conditions. The project was completed on time and under budget.
Can Chad Fisher Construction come to your rescue? Contact us to discuss your project.