We do Landslide repairs:

• Recompaction and reconstruction of hillsides
• Earth retention systems
• Wire netting
• Temporary slide covering
• Geobrugg systems
• Gabion walls
• Sculpted Shotcrete & soil nails
• Tiebacks
• Soldier beam walls
• Structural concrete walls
• Installation of erosion control netting and blankets
• Lime mixing
• Dewatering
• Excavating and demolition

Much of the hilly area in the Bay Area is prone to slides

The main cause of sliding/earth movement is when hillsides become saturated with water, and thus become unstable. 
Landslides can create all kinds of problems, and severely impact property values. Landslides can threaten existing structures, damage drainage systems, fences, retaining walls, and cross property lines. They can damage driveways and roads, and create serious safety hazards.

Initial excavation work on landslide

RWR specializes in all types of landslide repairs,
as well as preventative measures. Most repairs involve installation of surface and subsurface drainage systems, replacement or re-compaction of failed soils, installation of earth retention systems, retaining walls, or a combination of any of these.

We regularly work with homeowners, contractors, and engineers to produce elegant, cost effective solutions designed to last.

Emergency Hillside Stabilization

Steel Netting Secured With Soil Nails

RWR supports and repairs foundations 

WE DO

• Foundation repairs including
  • Pier & Grade Beam Foundations
  • Spread Footing Foundations
  • Foundation Crack Repair
• Underpinning/support of existing foundations with
  • Reinforced concrete piers
  • Driven steel minipiles
  • Helical anchors and piles
  • Push piles
  • Hand-dug pits
• Replacement of existing foundations
• Installation of foundation drainage systems
• excavating and demolition

Foundation problems are suspect when
you notice cracking in walls, doors or windows jamming, or unlevel floors.

Foundation problems here in the Bay Area
often develop due to an inadequate original design, where the foundation does not penetrate down into competent bearing material. Surface and subsurface water further aggravate the problem by softening and causing movement in soil around and under foundations.

A further cause of differential movement
(uneven movement of the foundation) is where a foundation has been built over fill material that has not been properly drained and compacted, or built on expansive soils without the proper design. Expansive soils expand when moisture is present, and shrink when moisture is absent, much like a sponge, creating stresses on foundations.

 Depending on the cause of the problem,
foundations can be repaired by extension of the foundation down into competent bearing material, installation of drainage to prevent water infiltration, or strengthening or replacing the foundation itself.

Underpinning

Underpinning is the extension of the existing foundation down to competent bearing material, which is material that will support the weight of the house and foundation without settling. Techniques include installing reinforced concrete piers, driven steel piles or push piles, hand-dug pits, helical anchors or self-drilling anchors.

Underpinning of existing foundation with helical anchors; top brackets showing.

Drilled pier reinforcement for underpinning of house on hillside.

We do:

RWR is an expert

We are known as one of the top construction firms in the Bay Area for installing all types of structural support piers and piles, helicals, tiebacks, lateral retention systems and holddowns.

Drilling small diameter hole in rock

Piers

A pier is a vertical and lateral structural support, which is embedded in the ground. It can be constructed of reinforced concrete, steel, or wood. In the Bay Area, seismic zone conditions and prevalent soil types dictate the use of piers for structural support of foundations or other structures such as retaining walls. Steel I-Beam piers embedded in concrete are also commonly used for retaining walls. It is important the pier be embedded into solid material (such as bedrock). Under certain circumstances other piers besides reinforced concrete may be available for use in the project, which can be more cost-effective. These would include helical piers or steel pipe pile piers: RWR has expertise in installing all types of piers.

Helical piers/anchors

Helical piers/anchors are steel shafts with attached screw style plates. Helical piers are excellent for driving a pier through soft material to firmer material such as bedrock. Typically helical piers are installed by screwing the lead section into the ground while attaching the shafts to obtain the necessary length. Helical piers can be used both vertically and horizontally.

Pipe pile piers (impact driven or push installed)

Pipe piers are 4” diameter hollow steel pipes that are either driven into the ground with a pneumatic driver or pushed using a hydraulic ram that uses the foundation as the reaction. The piles are driven to a predetermined refusal rate or pushed until the foundation starts to be raised.

Foundation underpinning with minipile

Tiebacks

Used to prevent lateral (sideways) movement for foundations, retaining walls and shoring systems, tiebacks usually consist of a steel rod or cables grouted into a horizontally drilled shaft.  A bolted steel plate is placed on the end of the rod sticking out of the ground, that prevents the structure from tipping or moving sideways. Helical anchors can also be used in some circumstances and can be more economical.

Pull testing helical tieback for pullout strength. You have to test the anchor to verify it will hold beyond working specifications. If the anchor moves, then it must be driven deeper into the ground.

Tiedown load testing

Proper drainage and waterproofing is vitally important
for the integrity, stability, and soundness of foundations, walls, homes, hillsides, roads, driveways, and other structures. Whether new construction or an existing structure, a drainage system is important to relieve hydrostatic pressure, which can cause walls to fail, infiltration into the living areas, mildew, mold, dampness, and soften soil under foundations, causing foundations to settle.
Whenever water or moisture appear under buildings, or the soils near foundations are not draining properly, it is urgent and important to remedy the problem with a well engineered and properly installed system.

WE DO

• Foundation drainage and waterproofing
• Retaining wall drainage and waterproofing
• Surface and site drainage
• French drains
• Curtain wall drains, interceptor drains
• Miradrain 6000 installations
• Drainage repairs
• Drainage installations on existing structures
• Sub-grade waterproofing of new and existing structures
• Paraseal, Thoroseal and Grace waterproofing products installation
• Strip drains
• Gallery drains

Call For An Expert Bid For Any & All Types Of Retaining Walls & Earth Retention Systems:

• Soldier beam walls (vertical steel beams with wood lagging)
• Cast in place concrete walls
• Shoring and Stabilizing walls and systems
• Gravity walls
• Sculpted and colored shotcrete walls (can look like natural stone and soil)
• Sculpted and colored shotcrete hillside cover (can look like natural stone and soil)
• Gabion walls
• Pier and tie back walls
• Soil nail walls
• Helical anchor walls
• Decorative walls & landscaping walls
• Wall repairs
• Rock catchment systems (Geobrugg, netting & cables, etc)
• Versa-Lok walls

RWR is an expert in building all types of retaining walls
Retaining walls serve to hold back a vertical or near vertical face of soil that would, without adequate retention, cave, slump, or slide to a more natural slope. In the Bay Area the more common retaining walls are constructed of poured concrete, shotcrete concrete, or steel or wood beams with pressure-treated timber lagging (the boards).

Many retaining walls are built improperly and thus are prone to early failure.
Several of the important design areas commonly overlooked by less experienced contractors are: embedding the piers (posts) deep enough into competent material or properly sizing the footings, and providing adequate drainage behind the wall. Hydrostatic pressure is a major cause of retaining wall failure and is an absolute requirement.

RWR is one of the most experienced specialists in the Bay Area
Retaining walls built by RWR do not fail, because RWR walls are constructed using the soundest construction techniques and materials of the highest quality.

 
Recent Roadway Cut Bank Stabilization Work
Bank Stabilization Work required 52 Soil Nail Anchors, 8 Wire Rope Anchors, Drilling, and Proof Testing. Nearly 2000 square feet of slope stabilization netting installed.

WE DO

• Foundations
  • Pier & Grade Beam Foundations
  • Spread Footing Foundations
• Underground Structures, Garages
• Shotcrete
• Structural Concrete
• Excavating
• Demolition

RWR specializes and is an expert in the construction of concrete building foundations. In particular, RWR has developed a unique capability for hillside construction of concrete foundations. RWR’s expertise includes foundation repair, new foundations and underpinning of existing foundations, along with upgrading existing foundations.

The foundation is the most essential part of any building or structure; the foundation is the base structure that transmits loads from a building to the ground. Suffice to say the foundation is the most important part of a building’s structure, particularly in seismically active California.

PROJECTS

New Foundation Installation In Zero Lot Line Conditions

Problem:
Installation of new foundation on zero clearance lot in San Francisco, where excavation undermined neighbor’s foundation.

Solution:
It was necessary to underpin neighbor’s foundation with hand dug piers, before excavation commenced. Then a new foundation with retaining walls was installed using shotcrete.

Result:
New foundation was ready for home construction, free of earth settlement issues with neighboring properties.

TRACK DRILLING

Powerful and fast drilling, using track mounted equipment for smaller and larger diameter, deeper piers. We are able to boom out and access difficult to reach places for foundations, retaining walls, car ports, etc.

We can drill through virtually any material including hard rock, water conditions requiring casing, sand conditions, and difficult drilling conditions. We can drill holes from two inches to five feet in diameter.

TIGHT ACCESS, PORTABLE DRILLING

If you have a site condition such as low overhead, poor access, or difficult hillside access our portable tight access drilling rigs can drill just about anywhere under any condition. Portable drilling rigs can be setup nearly any place they are needed. We specialize in difficult jobs.

Tight access concrete demolition

Soil nail drilling on hillside