The foundation is the most important structural part of any infrastructure, whether it is an office building, a hotel or even your own home.  Therefore, any signs of wear and tear should be addressed immediately to prevent further damage and higher expense costs.  There are a lot of foundation repair specialists and contractors that are readily available to attend to such problems.  Some can even be found online for easier access to their service, product and contact details and some even offer free estimates and analysis.

Most foundation problems revolve around an imbalanced foundation settlement making the entire structure unstable and unsafe. Some factors that can cause imbalance to the foundation include the soil condition, the land area where the structure was constructed and the maintenance of the structure itself.  Most people ignore the first signs of any foundation problems such as cracked and bulging walls.  This is the biggest mistake they can make when it comes to foundation repair since by ignoring the situation, the problem only gets worse over time.  Thus, when it comes to foundation problems, it is better to take action sooner rather than later to avoid further inconvenience and expense.

An important thing to consider when it comes to foundation repair is to understand the problem.  Since the foundation is the main support system of an infrastructure, it’s supposed to be constructed in such a way that the structure lies upon a smooth, flat and even surface.  If this is not the case, chances are that the soil in which the foundation was built on starts to change and move.  This can be due to undetected air pockets that create voids or empty spaces within the soil, which weakens it and its load bearing capacity.

As the soil moves, the foundation along with the entire structure moves with it.  This leads to problems with the structural areas within the infrastructure.  Cracks in the walls can suddenly appear and the floors start to become uneven.  There are instances wherein doors are difficult to open or close due to misalignment.  A noticeable separation between the walls and the floor or ceiling is evident.  These are just some of the common signs of foundation problems that should be acted upon as quickly as possible to avoid further foundation failure, which in turn can lead to the entire infrastructure collapsing.

Again, foundation problems shouldn’t be ignored and some people address these problems by doing the fixing themselves.  Although there are a lot of foundation repair do-it-yourself kits and guides out in the market, it is still advisable to seek help from a professional who has gathered years of experience and has built a good reputation. Foundation repair experts know which structural areas to survey and problem signs to look out for.  They use that data as their basis for analysis and coming up with the ideal solution to fix the problem.  Doing a temporary fix yourself might seem to be a quick and convenient solution for the moment but in the long run, it will be something that you would have to fix over and over again.  Foundation repair experts locate and fix the main cause of foundation issues so that you can be assured that there will be no further issues in the near future.

Each year, landslides cause millions of dollars in damages to the transportation and utility sectors and all other forms of infrastructure.  It is considered as one of the most devastating natural hazards that can wipe out anything in its path.  One such devastating landslide wiped entire towns and villages in Columbia back in 1985 where it claimed the lives of 20,000 people.  This is the reason why engineers and contractors continue to research and develop designs and approaches that can help stabilize landslides and prevent it from dealing immense damage to any area.  One such approach was the use of tieback anchors since it can be used to penetrate the failure surface and apply a resisting force directly to the sliding mass to prevent or limit any further movement.

Tieback anchors, also referred to as ground anchors, are horizontal anchors used to reinforce retaining walls for stability.  One end of the tieback is anchored to a wall while the other end is anchored to a solid structure that is attached firmly into the ground with sufficient resistance.  This allows the structure to resists forces such as landslides that would otherwise cause it to lean.  It can be installed with minimal excavation and then simply covered again with backfill to provide a more “natural” and artistic solution to complicated landslide problems.

Tieback anchors were traditionally known to be used for temporary excavation applications that gradually moved to being permanent construction applications.  However, with the advancement of technology, a wider range of experience and a broader knowledge on advance corrosion protection techniques, tieback anchors are now being considered as an option or alternative to cost-effective and economical solutions for landslide stabilization.  Tieback anchors cost less when compared to other options for landslide preventive measures such as building of concrete and stem walls, excavations and relocations just to name a few.  It is estimated that tieback systems costs roughly one third less than the construction of stem walls since the cost increases as the height of the stem wall rises while tieback walls seem to be independent of the height factor.

Installing a tieback anchor is critical to its performance.  Choosing the correct drilling technique should be carefully considered and based upon the following factors: the availability of equipment, the soil type and the noise or vibrations constraints.  The actual installation process follows these basic construction procedures.  First is to drill the hole followed by the insertion of the tendon into the hole while making sure that it is properly aligned.  Next is to fill the hole with the grout mixture.  Once the tieback anchor is installed, testing is performed to make sure that the installation was successful in meeting the required objectives.

Overall, tieback anchors prove to be a rapid and effective ground and structural stabilization method that utilizes a simple drilling system and requires minimal manpower resources.  Its benefits include minimal disturbance to the surrounding area during installation, is suitable to all ground conditions and offers a wide-range of options for design flexibility.