Underpinning-- a new solution

I watched that programme last night "help my house is falling down" presented by Kirsty allwayspregnant...anyhow thsi family bought this house with major problems, roofing, drains, subsidence plus all other issues.......why they bought it is beyond me but when it came to the underpinning they called in company who instead of using the old method of digging out and filling with concrete what they do is dig pilot holes and inject expanding foam to mix with the soft ground and it sets rock solid in a short time .....quicker and cheaper.....it is the first time I have seen this but not being in the building game I just wondered if you guys had seen it and is it any good.

Didn't see the program myself (Friday nights are usually spent at the local, or Thursday nights are usually spent watching what SHMBO wants to watch)

Can't imagine that expanding foam has much structural strength. Depends what they call expanding foam on the program though?
What size were the pilot holes they drilled?????

I think its some form of resin which stabilizes the ground around the area. Was mentioned to me about 6 years ago, a house i looked at buying, had some subsidence. SE said that it was quite a new system in domestic properties, and one advantage apparently was that you didn't have to declare to your insurance company, that the property had been underpinned. (don't know if thats still the case.)
I think the process is called ground stabilization

Googled uretek.

Uretek stabilises and relevels buildings quickly, economically, and with minimal disruption to occupants.

Using Uretek technology, weak foundation ground is strengthened beneath footings and rafts. Where required, rafts can be raised. As the ground is improved, injection is continued in order to close up wall cracks and correct the alignment of windows and doors.

Precisely controlled by laser monitoring, most projects can be completed from the outside, and there is usually no need for occupants to move out. Work is completed in one or two days rather than weeks. A major advantage of Deep Injection is that it adds very little weight to foundation ground.

Uretek’s technology is the advanced alternative to piling and underpinning, and is widely used by Britain’s major insurance companies, local authorities, and housing associations.

http://www.uretek.co.uk/

Yes, it was definitely Uretek.

Uretrek is ok but up to a point. the point being what the foam is being injected into below the ground.

Another interesting moderately interesting development in piling is "Shire piling" worth a goggle as it is done [as is uretek] externally.

Will not work on London clay and tree root damage [neither will uretek] but is a slightly less expensive option than to use traditional methods of piling.

As an aside uretek will be destroyed by "earthquakes" Ok don't laugh, there are cases of this system failing during an Earthquake in Yorkshire.

Good thing about uretek is that if it fails first time around the firm comes back and does it for free next time [Me wonders if that is a good or bad thing?]

Uretak is OK as long as there are no broken drains, service voids or large ground voids for the resin to be endlessly pumped in.

They work out an 'assumed' quantity of product, and if more is needed then you pay more (the pump is metered) - so the final cost can rise substantially.

Plus, if you want a quick job forget it. They typically have a 2-3 month lead time

Uretek has also developed a relatively new system where the material can be [or so it is claimed] pumped down a fair distance, they bore a hole, introduce a retaining bag, fill this bag with the foam, allow it to set then bore through it to repeat the same again but below the first "envelope" I believe they can do this on 3 occasions, in effect giving a sort of a " column effect" to the product, can not recall all the details, I just about went to sleep during the presentation.

if truth be told I would have a leaning in preference towards Shire, why, because it is a definite "mechanical" bond to the existing foundations, and has an engineered design for the "twiddly bit" that being the connection at the foundations and the bending moments that occur as the load is passed into the Shire pile itself.
Shire have also developed a specialized "system" that is specifically designed for the [ever popular] "conservatory market" where they will come along, insert their system attached to a sort of a tray that is used as the foundation / base for the walls of the Conservatory to be constructed from. Just hate Conservatories that are rotating away from the main house, especially when the builder of the Conservatory has gone into liquidation to go through the "phoenix" ploy of re-starting in a different name, but working out of the same Business address.

I like a good rant on a Thursday, this is nothing at all like a good rant? ? ?

How did we get on to this? does someone think they have a problem?