We hear it all the time: “I think we may need HOLY-ICOILS, HELLYPIERS, HELL-IKAL… I don’t know.. I am SURE I am mispronouncing it.” Don’t sweat it. We’ve heard it all!

Helical Piers are known by many terms: screw piles, screw piers, helical piles, helical piers, helical anchors, etc.

To get technical, there are a few differences between helical anchors, helical piles and helical piers, although the terms are often used interchangeably. Helical anchors consist of an extendable steel shaft with helical bearing plates. Plies or piers refer to strong base elements that withstand or transfer vertical/horizontal loads. Anchors are piles utilized only in tension applications like restraining wall tiebacks or vertical ground anchors made to resist overturning forces.

Bottom line is that they are a ground anchoring system that is used in deep foundation work and should be professionally installed. Much like a screw being turned into wood, helical piers are screwed deep into the soil to lift and stabilize a structure, but not with a gigantic screwdriver. Various earthmoving machinery fitted with rotary hydraulic attachments and understanding the soil is the key.

1) Soil Movement – Any kind of motion in the earth can create fissures. Given long periods of time, it’s very common to see foundations crack from shifting. How much it shifts is dependent on many things including what type of soil your structure is built on. Depending on where your structure is located, it may be constructed on clay soil, sandy soil, loam soil. Cracks commonly occur in clay soils. Here in Colorado, we see a lot of expansive Bentonite clay soils. They will expand when they are wet and then when it’s hot, they’ll contract and develop crevices. Effect: This back-and-forth motion can lead to cracking and other foundation issues. Sandy soils are what are called “loose” soils. That’s because their particles are not densely packed together. As a result, they drain quite easily and don’t hold water. Loamy waters are “medium” weight soils that fall in between the other two types of soils. As a rule, expansive soils are the type that causes the most problems for property owners. If you do not know what type of soil your foundation is resting on, a soil engineer can test the soil to determine how expansive it is. It is important to remember that even an exceedingly small amount of movement can greatly affect your foundation.

Our homes have always been the foundation of our lives, but the importance of home and stability has become magnified this past year. Living in various degrees of lockdown has highlighted the importance of brightening and securing our sacred places. We have had to create and re-purpose spaces into home offices, school rooms, playgrounds and personal pubs.

We are re-arranging furniture and cleaning out dusty spaces because creating sanctuary and safety in times of change is sacred. We have forged stronger community connections, getting to know and help our neighbors better. This is how we thrive through these varying uncertain times.

Thank you for supporting our family owned business!

Gutters are critical! Water mitigation is important to keeping your foundation sound.

There is a saying that everyone in real estate is taught from the beginning of their careers (CAVEAT EMPTOR). Which basically translates to “buyer beware.” Which brings me to a lesson learned the hard way.

Join Jack McGuire on a recent complimentary assessment and estimate….

Join leading Pier Support Specialist, Hank on a recent assessment at an investment property.

Let’s cover the four seasons and what happens each season to potentially affect the foundation of your home and at the end we will reveal exactly WHEN you should get work done.

1) Get multiple estimates - We recommend at least 3. Make sure you are looking at all variables when comparing estimates; look at the solution, the materials used, timeliness, methods and other factors that may differ.  Be cautious of estimates that are too high or too low.  Too often we see our competitors "bait and switch" where they come in with a low estimate to get the job and then make pricey changes after the work has started. Look for transparency and honesty. 

2) Hire LOCAL, licensed contractors whenever possible.  Local people are easier to contact if any concerns develops and they are more likely to be familiar with permitting and coding requirements specific to your area.  Does the contractor have a local, physical address that you can visit? Swing by. Make sure it is not a fake or suspicious address. Ask them if they have done business under a different name in the past. Are they licensed?  Do not be shy - ask for their license number. Know how to get in touch with them. 

3) Check their past work. Read their online reviews.  How has their work turned out in the past? How have they addressed issues?  Inquire about their professional reputation with the BBB.  A contractor with more than 5 years of experience is preferable.  Cont….

Every now and then our clients draw attention to our reviews and how good they are. We are proud of the business we run and we take many steps to safe guard our reputation. One of the ways we do this is by having open lines of communication with our customers. If you, as a customer ever need to go online and complain it means that we have not done our job. We are only human, we make mistakes, just as we are fully prepared to fix them.

It is common knowledge in our industry that people sometimes pay for reviews. It is unfortunate but as a consumer it is easy to spot. Are all the reviews worded the same? They’re probably fake. Are all the reviews for a service (such as maintenance) that the contractor only performs as a secondary service? They’re probably fake. Are all the reviews within a realistic time-frame, is a lifetime warranty any good from someone with only 10 months of reviews? They’re probably fake.

Caveat emptor! Let the buyer beware! Are you signing a contract with a "services" company that will subcontract your business with someone you have not vetted? Your contract should be between you and the company doing the work, not a "sales consultant" who murks your warranty claims. Never let your main labor be subcontracted!

Very professional. Executed the work in a timely manner. Left he area clean and in good working order. I am happy with the work completed.

You did everything you promised and more. Everyone from the first phone (call), to Jack who scoped the job, to Russell who scheduled the work, to meeting your owner who wasn’t too busy to say that my job was important and would be done right, to the guys who worked hard and dug the dirt, to Randy who promised me he was going to raise that wall on the 3rd try (and he did)… thank you ‘all” of you. Mike Mahony

before hiring a contractor.

https://kdvr.com/2016/10/03/woman-says-contractor-took-her-money-and-left-a-big-mess/

Is your contractor going to replace your foundation drain? Is this included in your price? Are they going the extra mile for you like Colorado Structural Repair will?