Survey and engineer coordination
Larger buildings usually warrant a structural engineer report, and the repair design follows it. Ask whether the provider will work to a plan from an engineer you hired.
Commercial Foundation Repair
Shop buildings, offices, clinics and warehouse floors sit on the same clay as the houses around them and move for the same reasons. The difference is the loads involved and the tenants in the way. Commercial work has to be planned around both.
- Independent Pros
- Slab & Pier and Beam
- Residential & Commercial
Signs That Need Attention
- Floor slab cracks widening across a warehouse or shop floor
- Door frames racking so entrance doors will not latch
- Joints opening between tilt-wall panels
- Separation between the building and a loading dock or paving
- Interior partitions cracking above door openings in the same area each year
Along the growth corridors around US 79, I-35 and the toll roads, a lot of light commercial went up quickly on ground that was cut and filled to make a level pad. Where the fill was deep on one side and shallow on the other, the building often tells you about it years later.
What the Service Includes
Commercial work is as much about scheduling and documentation as it is about piers. A good plan keeps the business running while the work is done.
Phased work around occupancy
Work is usually sequenced so one area at a time is affected; ask the provider about after-hours scheduling if a business cannot give up the floor during the day.
Heavier pier design
Loads from racking, equipment and multi-story construction change the pier spec. The plan should state the design load and the expected depth, not just a pier count.
Your Options
The physical work is the same family of solutions as residential: piers to reach stable ground, controlled lifting where the readings justify it, and drainage correction so water stops collecting against the building. The pier type decision follows the same logic set out in the comparison.
For landlords and buyers, a measured survey before a lease renewal or a purchase is far cheaper than an argument afterwards. That starts with an inspection.
Commercial work is available across the service area, including the newer development around Hutto.
Commercial Foundation Repair Questions
Can the work happen outside business hours?
Often, depending on the provider, and for retail and restaurants it usually should. Exterior pier work is less disruptive than interior, so where the readings allow it, that is often scheduled first. Ask the provider to set out the phasing in the quote so you can plan around it rather than find out on the day.
Who arranges the structural engineer?
You do, and that is the point. An engineer hired by the building owner is independent of whoever performs the repair, and the report belongs to you. Ask the provider whether it will build the pier design around an existing report, or whether the building is simple enough not to need one.
Will racking and stock have to be moved?
Only where interior piers are needed under the affected area. Perimeter work usually leaves the floor untouched. The elevation survey tells you which situation you are in before anything is scheduled, and the plan states exactly which bays are affected and for how long.
Arrange a commercial foundation survey
Describe the building type, the floor area and what the cracks are doing when you call the number.