Repiling/Underpinning House Foundation

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urban

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

#116917 13-May-2013 23:20

Anyone here knows of a good reliable and trustworthy company in Auckland to either Repile or underpin the foundation for my house?

Doors to the back of our house no longer close properly and the walls surrounding them have started to show signs of cracks through the wallpaper. :(

Disrespective

1926 posts

Uber Geek

#817156 14-May-2013 08:07

I don't know the names of the firms but my brother (in Orewa) has been going through this recently himself and I can offer a few points for you to think about.

He originally asked the firms for a quote to re-pile his house only. A few of them came through and quoted him but never got back to him about a potential start of work date as they're all too busy to get more paid work it would seem...

He then went to another guy who came over and questioned why anyone ever thought it was going to need re-piling... he said it was probably more a case of re-levelling the house, which is obviously significantly cheaper, and faster to do. My brother is still waiting on this guy to get back to him about getting it done but after two years of looking I think he might finally have it done this year.

I can ask him for the details of the firms he's used/talked to if you like?

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#817193 14-May-2013 09:20

One or two Auckland specialists have packed up and shifted to Chch...
Generally, if the bearers can be packed to re-level the house, then it's going to be much cheaper. I believe that the maximum packing allowed is 50mm - a couple of inches, otherwise new piles - and there could already be some packing, so this needs to be checked out. If you can borrow a zip or laser level, measure it yourself to get some idea of what might be involved - if the variation in levels is more than 50mm then it might be a big job. The reason for the piles subsiding may need to be looked at, which may mean some geotech investigation - penetrometer testing of soil density.
If the total number of piles to be replaced is <20% of the overall, and if there's no structural rebuild involved (ie to rebuild a perimeter foundation), then the work may not need building consent, which is a saving because of consent costs, because an engineer may not be needed for design/inspection, and because under-pinning may not be required.
Access to the piles is another significant cost factor - if the piles can be accessed with reasonable head-room in the crawl space, then a lot of $ can be saved compared with needing to rip up and replace floors.
Even if the work is minor and not needing consent, it still might be a good idea to involve an engineer in inspection, and to issue a certificate to state that new piles conform with NZS 3604 - just in case this comes back to bite you in the bum at a later date - ie if you're selling the house.
Good luck with this - there are tens of thousands of houses in Chch which need re-leveling, and more than a few cowboy antics going on in repairs.

urban

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

#817640 14-May-2013 19:44

Cheers for the replies fellas, i'm new to this house maintenance stuff :)

The movement hasn't been too significant but one is safe to assume if I don't attack it how it'll just get worse.

At the moment there are two obvious gaps in the pilings under our house, but they are less than 15mm apart.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#817775 14-May-2013 22:26

urban: Cheers for the replies fellas, i'm new to this house maintenance stuff :)

The movement hasn't been too significant but one is safe to assume if I don't attack it how it'll just get worse.

At the moment there are two obvious gaps in the pilings under our house, but they are less than 15mm apart.

Sorry I can't recommend anybody in Akl. But if there's a 15mm gap, and if the floors are within 35mm of level (ie 50mm or less total) and the piles are okay, then a simple "jack and pack" shouldn't cost a fortune - especially if access is good. The contractors who do this for a living should be consulted first IMO. Floor levels need to be checked - relatively simple job that they shouldn't charge for on first inspection. They should have a good idea if the cause is just normal ground settling (and might not get worse), or if something else may be going on that will need further attention and professional engineering input.

Dav4122

73 posts

Master Geek

#820078 15-May-2013 14:08

I have had http://repile.co.nz/ working on re-leveling my house at the moment - cheaper and faster than a repile (its a repair rather than a replacement)

and other than some phone tag (with the boss Steve working in Christchurch as well as Auckland) I have no trouble recommending them

urban

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

#820364 15-May-2013 23:02

Dav4122: I have had http://repile.co.nz/ working on re-leveling my house at the moment - cheaper and faster than a repile (its a repair rather than a replacement)

and other than some phone tag (with the boss Steve working in Christchurch as well as Auckland) I have no trouble recommending them

Cool thanks David