Soil Stabilization and Foundation Lifting
Problem
The Wades Point Inn, built in 1820 by Baltimore shipbuilder Thomas Kemp, is today a bed & breakfast located on Tilghman Island just outside of St. Michaels, Maryland. The current owner was seriously concerned because the house was sinking, with the rear of the house settling dramatically due to poor sandy soils and the inevitable ravages of time. The historic home’s foundation consisted of brick and concrete block piers. The owner reported that other contractors and engineering firms looked at the project but would not even entertain the idea of a fix, due to the age of the home and the severity of the problem. Looking for a contractor with experience and vision, the owner visited the Ocean City Expo and made contact with URETEK.
Analysis
URETEK arrived on site and inspected the building. A soil analysis confirmed the presence of poor sandy soils, and the foundation piers beneath the house were clearly settled. URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI) was proposed for the site to stabilize the soils beneath the piers and, where required, to lift the building’s foundation. The owner was very concerned that the project might disrupt the normal flow of business at WadesPoint Inn, and worried also that any required excavation might ruin the surrounding landscaping. URETEK decided to take on the challenge and created an injection plan that would return the historic home to its former glory.
Solution
URETEK crew members began work on the project, conducting UDI underneath all the building’s piers at two depths, all while working in a crawl space with only 36 inches of clearance. Using laser levels and monitors inside the building, URETEK wasable to safely stabilize the foundation and lift the structure without any damage. In just three working days, the project was complete.
Result
As URETEK crews departed the project site, the Wades PointInn was beginning a new chapter in its long life atop a safe, secure, and stable foundation. The owner of the bed &breakfast was able to continue operations during the project without any downtime or loss of revenue. With no excavation required to conduct UDI, the beautiful landscaping at the inn remained pristine. For the owner, one fateful call to URETEK was the difference between a project that couldn’t be done and the happiest of endings for Wades Point Inn.
URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI)
Widely referenced throughout our industry, UDI involves the injection of structural polymer into base and subgrade soils to increase the load-bearing capacity. This is achieved by injecting the polymer through small holes drilled directly through the pavement structure to depths determined by site-specific analysis. Our URETEK 486 Star® material flows easily into voids and weak zones within the soil mass below. Through a controlled chemical reaction, the expanding polymer compacts surrounding soils and applies controlled pressure on targeted areas of the affected pavement above. If needed,a multi-injection design plan is utilized to gently return the pavement to its original grade. The composite material quickly cures into a strong, dimensionally stable, and water-resistant geo-material, providing years of reliable service.
URETEK 486 Star®
URETEK 486 Star® polymer is a two-component, high-density, expanding thermoset polyurethane system. It was developed to be the ideal solution for under-sealing, void filling, lifting of settled pavement, stabilization and stiffening of weak soils, and for encapsulating and sealing buried infrastructure. URETEK 486 Star® is environmentally inert, non-toxic, and resists underground water erosion or weakening due to its industry-leading hydrophobic properties.
