So, your home has been built but the weather conditions, soil issues
and moisture are creating a problem for the foundation to settle. Don’t worry!
It happens with everyone, but not with the smart ones. Now you might be
wondering who those smart ones are? Well, those smart ones are those people who
use caissons for the foundation. Caissons
are used when soil conditions are extremely poor. It is also used in the case
when the structure is huge and large. Many hillside homes, building and
high-rise complexes have been using caissons to provide additional support.
Moreover, caissons are also used in constructing bridges and freeways as well
as reclining walls of the hillsides. Whenever a hillside retaining wall is built,
the soil behind the wall tries to exert pressure on the wall. Because of the
pressure, the wall can fall, either by sliding or by collapsing. Caissons are
built by drilling a large cavernous shaft.
After that the shaft is filled with reinforced with concrete made of
soil and sand. The concrete is used along with steel and rebar as well. The shafts are usually are drilled from 2’ to
12’ in diameter through the soil and into the bedrock. There are some shafts
which are as deep as 150 feet. So, just in case if you have foundation
settlement problems, you can choose caissons. However, these days there are a
lot of people who get their house inspected by a seasoned foundation contractor
to decide the type of foundation.
