A medical office in Agoura Hills, CA had been experiencing foundation settlement shortly after construction in 1985, due to poor footing construction. The building was constructed with Slumpstone that included design loads over 6500 lbs. per foot, on the foundation. The building you can find us in an area of high elasticity soils. Drought conditions compounded the problem even further, as the high clay content began to shrink away from the foundation. A footing repair in 2004-5 to increase the pad width and size did little to remedy the settlement, as the structure continued to settle.

New owners in 2017 decided it was time to remedy the the problems, while completing a complete remodel of the building.

Their key requirements were to have the building stabilized so the renovations would not be affected. Slumpstone separation and cracking had been a major concern as was the interior drywall damage, most tenants complained about.

Initial repair criteria was to install 24 in. diameter concrete caissons 8 feet into bedrock, at a depth of 28 ft., and spaced every 10 ft. with a new grade beam haunch footing attached to the existing foundation. After costing a major project like this, and learning all tenants had to vacate the building, it was determined that this repair wasn’t in the budget.

Foundation Technology offered the solution of helical piles, and the completion of the project, allowing tenants to remaining the building. The building housed many busy medical offices with a high amount of daily traffic.

One of the advantages of ECP helical piles, was the ability to complete the work with small equipment, instead of large disruptive machinery, and a dozen large trucks moving the dirt spoils from the 80 holes needed for caissons. This equated to over 400 cubic yards of soil removal, and 550 yards of concrete to be poured. The original project would have required 90 truck over the course of the project.

Foundation Technology was awarded a contract to install 139 helical piles to a depth of 28 feet, spaced at five feet intervals.

Foundation Technology completed the project we complete in 90 days.

To facilitate the need to keep businesses open, the job we complete in stages, to minimize noise and dust.

No dirt was removed from the premise, eliminating truck traffic and additional congestion in the busy parking lot.

We utilized the small equipment to satisfy the tenants and patients, enabling them to remain open throughout to project.

All Helical piles we install, then connected together with ECP’s patented Manifold lift system.

A load equal to 95% of the bearing load was placed on the piles, giving the footing a 2.5 multiplier in bearing capacity, and eliminating any possibility for future settlement.