
Project: Avery Residence
Location: East Greenwich, RI
Date: August 2011
The Avery Residence is a two-story, wooden structure with a brick chimney that was constructed on a concrete block foundation. The home in East Greenwich, RI was built in the mid-1980's and several years after construction, the chimney began to settle and rotate away from the house. In an attempt to remedy the problem, a contractor was hired in the early 1990's to pour new concrete footings that extended four feet deeper than the original footings. Unfortunately, the new footings did not successfully repair the issue and the chimney continued to settle by more than an inch, causing a gap between the chimney and the structure. In 2011, the homeowners decided to sell the property, but failed the home inspection due to the settling chimney. Upon failure of the inspection, the homeowners needed to find a permanent solution that would allow them to sell their home.
After researching their options on the internet, the homeowners decided to consult with Foundation Supportworks of New England (FSNE) to provide a solution for the repair. A push pier system was determined to be the best option in order to ensure minimal disruption to the lawn and landscape, while also achieving a deep solution that would extend below the active soil layers and into competent load bearing strata, or bedrock. Two (2) Model 288 Push Piers were installed to depths of 20 feet and ultimate holding capacities of 35,000 pounds to support the chimney. Once the piers were driven to the proper depth and capacity, the chimney was lifted back to a level position, closing the gap between the chimney and the structure. The installation was completed, the work area cleaned up and the soil re-graded around the foundation in less than one day. The homeowners were pleased to have the job completed within their budget and in a quick time frame to allow them to sell their home. The 25-year transferable warranty also allowed the new homeowners to enjoy peace of mind, knowing they had a lasting repair.
Project Engineer:
Hayman Engineering
Installing Contractor:
Foundation Supportworks of New England
Certified Inspector:
Andy Mills
Products Installed:
(2) Foundation Supportworks® Model 288 Push Piers