All rights reserved. No part of this documents may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever.  By electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission.
Designed and Published by George Prall
Specialist Foundations - Underpinning - Piling - Subsidence Surveys
Specialist Foundations - Underpinning - Piling - Subsidence Surveys
Woodys, Highland Road
Badgers Mount
Sevenoaks
Kent.  TN14 7BB
01959 534 634
FirmFoundations@aol.com
Firm Foundations
Geotechnical Foundation Engineering at its Best
Specialist Foundation Engineers - Groundwork Contractors
Home. Intro. Services. Advisory. Projects.
Old Foundation
Failed Foundations can occur in buildings for many reasons but fundamentally because the sub-soil below cannot support the foundations that ultimately take the loading from the building above.
In most cases, such a failure in London is because the clay sub-soil shrinks, due to the dry winter and summer seasons because of climatic changes.  In some cases, the construction itself is inadequate and the failure is due to insufficient foundation depths or founded on a sub-soil incapable to supporting the loading.
New Foundations
Building regulations are addressing this problem and are very careful about the design of new small buildings.  Underpinning is not just related to subsidence additional depths are often required for existing buildings for a number of reasons, most commonly to create additional room.
Firm Foundations have underpinned many properties to create basement or cellar space beneath an existing building, greatly increasing the living area of a building. Additionally many properties require underpinning when converting unto a Residential Building; Barns or Oast Houses are often converted to residential accommodation.
Specialist Foundations:
The introduction of deep mini piles up to 300 mm in diameter not only provide the capacity for deep founded underpinning schemes but also for constructing new foundations for low rise buildings, in sub-soils that make traditional foundations impossible.
We have the capability for both driven and augured piles making schemes possible in most types of sub-soil, a full design service is available.
Modern Foundations
We are able to provide a full design and install service, from initial survey to final completion with Building Regulations.
Alternatively, we are always happy to install any specialist foundation pre-designed by Structural Engineers.
Basement Creation:
There have always been many enquiries for underpinning a property to create a basement but few went to contracts because the cost to house price ratio. With the continuing house price increase many such project have been completed.
Underpinning alone will not provide a basement as traditional underpinning will not act as lateral restraining. We adapted traditional underpinning to provide a reinforced concrete upstand that acts as the basement structural wall.
Whatever your Requirements, Firm Foundations can Provide a First Class Professional  Service