Push Piers Installation Services in Boulder

There are many options for foundation repair in Boulder, but push piers aren’t usually an option because of the soil typically found in Colorado. Push piers, also known as “resistance piers,” are cylindrical steel shafts that are hydraulically advanced into deep, load-bearing soils. All pier systems are designed to give permanent support for foundations, but these types of piers are often faster and cheaper to install than helical piers or micropiles.

Many Boulder foundation contractors use other types of pier systems for their foundation repair work, because push piers have their limitations. Push piers are only effective in the right types of soil, because they aren’t ideal for resisting uplift (resistance to heaving caused by swelling soils) and offer little lateral strength. Because of the design and installation of push piers, they can only be advanced into the soil with the weight of the structure they are meant to support, giving you, at best, a balance of forces. The pier’s weight bearing is entirely on the end of the pier—approximately a 3-inch circle, plus the friction between the sides of the pipe sections and the soil.

Push piers are pushed into the soil until the soil resistance is enough to start lifting the home or other structure. This means that if the soil loses any of its capacity, typically through moisture changes, the pier can sink deeper and the structure can settle further. Plus, if there is uplift from swelling soils, the sections of the piers can separate from each other, causing potentially dangerous and expensive issues down the line.

For areas that have loose soils overlying relatively shallow, non-expansive bedrock, push piers may be a good option. However, most of Colorado’s Front Range does not have the type of soil that would lend well to push pier systems. Most of the foundation issues we see here at Van Matre Construction involve dense but expansive soils that lie over more dense but still expansive soils. Here in Colorado, push piers simply cannot reach the kind of depth where stable soils or bedrock exist.

So, while push piers may be cheaper than other types of piers, we do not believe that those cost savings outweigh the limitations. Many Boulder foundation contractors promote push piers because they make a higher margin on these types of products, but Van Matre Construction does not install push piers. We are committed to using only the best and most effective methods of foundation repair for our Boulder customers, and you can always count on us for reliable, honest, and superior service.

Van Matre Construction is proud to be a trusted foundation repair company in the region, and we can tackle any foundation problem, no matter the size or scope. Reach out for your free estimate today!

Since 2001, we have been serving homeowners in the following areas: Denver, Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont, Broomfield, and Westminster. You can rely on us to deliver quality service.