On November 30, 2018 back-to-back earthquakes and aftershocks (7.0 and 5.7 magnitudes) hit Anchorage, Alaska leaving behind it damaged roads, public buildings and houses.  This devastation left significant foundation and structural collapses over a wide area.  What they found in the aftermath was- structures that were built on Techno Metal Post (TMP) helical piers, were the ones that remained solid and strong.

Further down we explain how helical piers can be used to successfully repair these foundations, in order to prevent future damage.  But first, let’s understand what happened.

In many cases, the ground beneath the foundations buckled during the earthquake, and the two main causes were:

1. Soil liquefaction – this occurs when a partially or fully saturated soil, substantially loses strength in response to an applied stress (ex: tremors during an earthquake or other sudden changes in stress conditions), in which material that is ordinarily a solid behaves more like a liquid.
2. Faulty foundation footing.
3. Fill that is not properly compacted during the original construction.

 

 

Above- A foundation and surrounding soil that caved after the November earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska – notice the settlement expands beyond the footprint of the building, but not beyond the likely area of original excavation. 

 

How do helical piers solve this problem and prevent future foundation collapses?

Techno Metal Post foundation piers are engineered and tested to the highest quality and standards, which guarantees durability, security, and sustainability of a structure’s foundation.  Secondly, they are professionally installed, using proprietary hydraulic machinery.  And finally, the piers are screwed into the ground by our certified technicians, until the required load-bearing capacity is reached, and secure footing is found.  Only then, is it considered a ‘deep and solid foundation’.

 

 

The goal behind installing helical piers, is to bypass poor soil (such as peat, soft clay, or fill) and find denser ground to properly support the structural weight.

The exact weight a pile can support in a particular soil, has been predetermined by the engineering experts.  If more weight needs to be added, the pile is simply installed deeper into denser and more stable soil.

 

How did TMP helical piers perform through the January 24, 2016 and November 30, 2018 earthquakes?

After the November 2018 earthquake, TMP Alaska took elevation measurements of a recent foundation project, and saw that the house had remained leveled, and didn’t suffer any settlement during the quake.  They also checked similar projects and discovered the same result: structures supported by TMP helical piers were not affected by the quake and remained the same as the day they were installed. TMP Alaska has almost 10,000 piers installed throughout the Anchorage and Mat-Su area and have had no reports of failures.

A two-story house remained intact and the deck piers that were used, also remained stable.

In January 24, 2016, another earthquake (7.1 magnitude) rocked South Central Alaska and was felt as far north as Fairbanks.  An informal post-quake survey of TMP Alaska’s completed projects, demonstrated the confidence in our pier foundations for earthquake regions.  After the January 24 quake, there weren’t any reports of issues with collapses or other damage, due to the (more than) 20 seconds of tremors.  After inspecting many finished projects, there was no evidence of settlement, pier damage/movement, and no drywall cracking.  Several houses and cabins on the Kenai Peninsula remained fully supported by TMP piers.

 

House on helical piers in Big Lake, Alaska.

 

What do we know about helical piers and earthquakes?

While it’s known and widely accepted that helical piers perform better than traditional foundations in earthquakes, it isn't clear why that is.  Until recently, foundation piers had never gone under extensive testing during seismic events.  That changed when the University of Oklahoma’s Amy Cerato Ph.D., P.E. decided to study and test the performance of helical foundation piers subjected to earthquake loads.  She begins by mentioning the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand:

“After the series of earthquakes in 2011, the city of Christchurch was surveyed, and it was found that all buildings/infrastructure constructed on helical piles sustained minimal structural damage, however, a large majority of the condemned buildings were constructed on other foundation types. The international community has qualitative proof that helical piles perform well in earthquake prone areas, but engineers have not quantified “why” those piles are superior foundation elements, and unfortunately, helical pile use in seismically active areas within the United States remains minimal. Therefore, this project seeks to find out ‘why’ helical piles seem to behave so well in seismic regions by subjecting them to earthquake loads in the University of California – San Diego’s Large Shake Table.”

Now, through testing and actual seismic events like the ones in Alaska, Dr. Cerato’s hypothesis continues to be accurately supported: “The international community has qualitative proof that helical piles perform well in earthquake prone areas.”   

In 2016 at the University of California, San Diego (Jacobs School of Engineering), the seismic testing of helical piers was carried out, on the world's largest outdoor shake table.  The results of the tests were very positive, demonstrating what we have always believed:  Helical foundation piers remain strong and stable during seismic activity.

Dr. Cerato’s research continues and her early work indicates that her hypothesis is correct.  This helping to finally explain “why” they perform so well in earthquakes.

SOURCES

• Dr. Cerato’s study
• Dr. Cerato’s blog
• Dave Northup, TMP Alaska

Techno Metal Post is very happy to welcome two new dealers: Reece Hoath and Riley Hoath from British Columbia. These two brothers are establishing TMP Prince George.

Reece, an electrician by trade, currently works in the oil and gas industry in Fort McMurray. He is an electrical technician doing electrical maintenance at an oil refinery. His passion, however, is construction. He has done construction projects on his house, recently adding an addition. When it came time to put in a foundation he says, “I hate sonotubes”, so he started investigating Techno Metal Post helical piers as an alternative. As he looked further into the company and the product, he realized not only was it a good solution for his addition, but it was also a very good business venture. Soon after, he contacted Christian Rousseau (TMP Alberta) and looked into becoming a dealer.

Riley’s background is also in oil and gas (power engineering) and is a pipeline supervisor. He loves his job, but he says an opportunity to now work for himself is a huge attraction. And although he admits that in his field of work (pipelines), “We put in (driven) piers on a mega scale”, Riley says that up until six months ago he knew nothing about Techno Metal Post and helical piers. It was his brother Reece, excited about the prospect of working in the world of construction and TMP helical piers, who asked Riley if he wanted to join him and invest in the dealership.

Riley and Reece are both married, and each have young children who keep them busy. Reece says his three little ones “are a handful…and I love them!” With the TMP dealership based back home in Prince George, he is looking forward to coming off the road and being able to spend more time with his family.

Reece and Riley said they had a great week of training with us, and we thoroughly enjoyed their participation – the Hoath brothers possess a great sense of humour! Riley described all the information he received “like drinking from a fire hose…but done well in a week. It was a well thought out on-boarding process.” Reece expressed he was a little nervous at first: “you don’t know what the organization will be, but everyone was amazing. The organizing as a whole is wonderful…all coordinated nicely.” Both Riley and Reece were very impressed that we roll our own steel and make our own machinery: “To see them building an EM1 was amazing!” Reece said he especially likes TMP’s proprietary installation equipment “because they are compact and designed specifically for putting in those (helical) piers.”

When asked about their goals and aspirations, they say their goal is to help expand Techno Metal Post “because it’s a great company, with great people.” “That”, says Reece “and to enjoy what we’re doing.”

Jesse Brown is one of the newest dealers to join our Techno Metal Post family in February 2018. He hails from Bozeman, Montana, in the beautiful Yellowstone Park region. He has been in construction since he was 18 and started his own construction company in 2005, after graduating from college. He works primarily in new residential construction and remodelling, and as of 2007, he also does high-end construction work.

Jesse’s “Ah-ha!” moment came when first saw helical piers (piles) installed on a deck project in 2011. “It was a realization that there was a far superior solution to concrete pilings and footings.” In 2012, he met with Serge Larouche (USA Manager) to begin looking into establishing his own Techno Metal Post dealership. He admits that it took some time to get set up and to finance his investment. “I’d been in touch with Serge for a number of years, and finally, I was able to make it happen.” In February 2018, his dream was realized. Jesse is now very keen to begin implementing the piers for residential projects – from starter homes, all the way to high-end customised houses in the Yellowstone region.

During his week of training at Techno Metal Post head office in Quebec, Canada, Jesse said he was “more impressed than I thought I’d be with the comprehensive knowledge (of everything) from mechanical, to marketing, to installation” processes. He was also very impressed by how “at ease, happy, and content everyone is here”, and that he feels he is well-supported by the TMP community. “I feel like I am set up for success. I feel that I will never be alone – even when I’m out on a solo job, installing piers in minus 20 degrees.”

In their spare time, Jesse and his fiancé, Sarah, who is a small animal veterinarian, love to hike and camp in Yellowstone Park. Jesse also loves to go alpine and cross-country skiing, and hunting.

Mark Gannon is one of the newest dealers to join our Techno Metal Post family in February 2018. Mark grew up in New Jersey and has 25 years of experience in construction and carpentry. He’s also ventured out into other areas of business, including being an owner-operator of a bakery bread route, and a manager of a privately-owned retail beer distributor.

Greg DiBernardo’s article, “Helical Pile Deck Foundations” (Professional Deck Builder, May-June, 2012) was Mark’s first encounter with Techno Metal Post. When he saw a deck being built with helical piers (piles), he immediately realized, “I need to get into this. This is the right fit. The way to go.” Then a deck project for some friends came along, and he was looking for an alternative “because I was not going to dig!” So, he found a Techno Metal Post dealer in New Jersey who installed the helical piers. Mark says he was totally amazed by the process and his clients were happy. One year later, while re-doing his own deck, he knew the only way to do it was to use Techno Metal Post. He watched the installer put in the piers on his own, in only two hours. Immediately after, Mark called him to inquire about getting his own Techno Metal Post dealership. “And the rest is history.”

Mark is excited to start implementing the knowledge and skills he’s learned during his training week at Techno Metal Post head office in Quebec, Canada. He is looking forward to learning more about what this product will do. “This has been a two-year process. I always knew I needed something different to separate me from the other contractors. I see a niche in TMP, so I am going for it.” He wants to build a business that will sustain itself and that he hopes to eventually pass on.

Nadine, Mark’s wife, will also be closely involved in their new dealership. When she is not busy working as a flight attendant, she is a wedding and portrait photographer. And if those things don’t keep her busy enough, she is currently working toward her FAA licence for drones. Nadine will be putting her artistic, and soon-to-be drone talents to use photographing their dealership’s projects and incorporating aerial images into their new business.

Mark says he can’t get enough of the outdoors. He and Nadine love to kayak, camp, and hike. As well, they enjoy being with friends, playing music (Mark is a drummer!), and spending time with his white German Shepard, Bud. He welcomes the challenge of bringing Techno Metal Post technology to his region; to showing people something new; and to educating others about it. “This, and the support of my wife, is what it’s all about.”

In September 2017, Techno Metal Post had the pleasure of hosting our new dealer Kevin Parkin for Kelowna, BC, for dealer training.

After years of working with his own welding truck in his own business, being in construction in Alberta, Kevin Parkin wanted to pursue a different type of business that would utilize his skills but give him more freedom and flexibility.

Kevin and his lovely wife Marie-Pier decided that they wanted to raise their family and call Kelowna home. They thought it would be a great place to build a business and support their active outdoor lifestyle. Kevin loves to fish and golf is one of his favourite past times. Once he found out that there was an opportunity to become a dealer for Techno Metal Post and have it be Kelowna, BC, well that sealed the deal. Kevin feels there are so much helical pier opportunities, docks and piers to be built along with all kinds of other helical pier foundations.

He is very excited about starting his new career in Kelowna. He and his family will be moving there by the end of September to begin their new life as a Techno Metal Post Dealer.

We look forward to seeing great things from Kevin’s dealership. We wish Kevin and his family all the success in his new business venture and the beginning of their new life in BC.

Getting ready for another busy season? You can save a lot of time and trouble by using Techno Metal Post instead of digging and pouring concrete.

Techno Metal Post helical pier foundations are the only ones in the industry to be recognized as alternatives to prescriptive foundations and footings. They are recognized (IAPMO ER-481) for decks and other residential accessory structures, for new construction, and for additions on residential occupancies built under the following codes: 2015, 2012, 2009, 2006 International Residential Code (IRC).

 

Use our products as footings for your next residential project and discover the numerous benefits in store for you:

• Building permit process made smooth and easy
• Assurance of a top-quality product
• Installation by trained and certified installers
• Certified field reports, reviewed and stamped by a licensed professional engineer
• No digging, no concrete
• Accelerate the building process of your project
• Cost-effective

Please read more about our IAPMO Evaluation Report (ER-481)

Whatever your residential needs, we have the solution. You can rely on Techno Metal Post, the world leader in helical pier foundations.

OUTDOOR HAVEN ON A HILL

• Wanting to expand your living space to the great outdoors, but you live on a slope?
• Longing to create a little slice of paradise by building a deck, or extending your hillside home?
• Looking for the seamless flow from indoor-to-outdoor living, but feel restricted by your property?

There is no need to feel discouraged because your yard is on slope; you can still have a beautiful hillside deck or extension. That sloping hillside is an opportunity for a unique and stunning outdoor sanctuary. With Techno Metal Post your environment will not limit you. It is completely feasible – and simple – to build a strong, durable, and secure foundation on a backyard slope. Techno Metal Post has the ideal deck footing answers for hillside decks and other structures. That slope is no longer an obstacle; it’s an opportunity for effortless creativity and peace of mind.

 

INNOVATION AND EXPERIENCE

With our specialized installation equipment and our accomplished engineering department, Techno Metal Post can design a foundation for your hillside deck project or extension. Access to your property is not an obstacle. In fact, we love steep slopes. Our machines can easily maneuver around landscaping, fences, sides of buildings, and precarious hillsides, with no digging or damage to your property. Techno Metal Post’s powerful and versatile equipment is created to move around very narrow spaces, and to get through tight and hard-to-reach areas, including steep slopes.

Techno Metal Post provides expert in-house engineering services for your deck footings. Our highly skilled engineers know helical piers and will oversee the analysis and certification of your deck footings. When assessing your project, they will take into consideration lateral loads, compression loads, and uplift, and will recommend different products for different situations. They will determine which piers to use, depending on the structure that needs supporting, the soil’s characteristics, and angle of the slope.

 

EFFORTLESS FLOW

Whether you are a homeowner, a contractor, or both, Techno Metal Post is the perfect solution to meet your needs. As Paul Lafrance (June 3, 2017) says, “The deck ‘should’ be a true extension of the home that carries your living space from the indoors to the outdoors…We want our interior living spaces to make us feel good when we spend time in them. So why would we settle for anything less from an outdoor living space?” (“Re-Thinking the Deck with Paul Lafrance”). Techno Metal Post’s helical piers and innovative technology ensure that your investment remains strong, stable, and long-lasting, guaranteeing many happy years of easy indoor-outdoor flow.

 

Roger from Techno Metal Post Hamilton-Durham, joins The Construction Life crew, as they get talking about new ways to build foundations using helical piles/piers.

When Manny and Roger met over 9 years ago, decks were a hot topic and a main focus.  There was also buzz around new ways to install additions and foundations using helical piles, instead of older methods of concrete pouring.  This would eventually revolutionize the construction and building industry.

Today, helical piles or piers, are being used for more than just decks.  They are found in infrastructure foundations, additions, signs, fencing, garages, sheds and much more!

Tune into the talk and see how helical piles/piers can uplevel your next project.

For other Contruction Life Podcasts: https://www.hardcorerenos.com/the_construction_life.html

In August 2017, Techno Metal Post was excited to train our very first dealer who took advantage of our brand new Veteran’s Program. We welcomed Robert S. Heil, our new dealer for South West Michigan to do our form of ‘basic training’.

After 8 years working in the military and being stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq; then 2 years of working for a civilian company overseas, Robert and his wife decided it was time to do something different. Travelling as much as he has, it has taken a toll on his family. So when he got introduced to Techno Metal Post by his brother Shawn, Robert decided to pursue this opportunity to start his own business. Shawn has a decking company in South West Michigan, and recognized the great fit for Robert to have a helical pier installation company. Robert then decided to inquire about becoming a Techno Metal Post dealer. After doing his research and due diligence on Techno Metal Post and other helical pier companies, the decision to choose Techno Metal Post became clear. Robert said, "Techno Metal Post was the best choice for me. With the Lac Michigan waterfront and all the inlands lake, South West Michigan will bring so many opportunities for this product."

Coming to Quebec for his training is the first time he has ever been to Canada and he really enjoyed all the things he learned while he was in this great province. Robert has a great sense of humour and the whole time he was here with us, he had us all laughing and enjoying his stories. He also taught us the term “Drop the Mic”, which you can google if you don’t know what that is. In addition to his great sense of humour, because of his military background Robert brings great skills of discipline, determination, perseverance and an ability to learn things very quickly. We know these skills will help him be very successful in his new dealership.

Robert has a beautiful wife named Cassidy and two lovely children, a boy named Charlie and a girl named Haddie. His family are the inspiration behind Robert wanting to change his career and start this dealership with Techno Metal Post. He is excited to be at home every night with his wife and children.

Robert has a deep passion for hunting and wants to plan to a hunting trip in Quebec sometime in the very near future. He also loves fishing. He is hoping this business will provide the balance in his life for family, work and his hobbies of hunting and fishing.

We look forward to seeing great things from Robert’s new dealership and wish him all the success in his new business venture with Techno Metal Post. We are excited to welcome you on board as our first Veteran Dealer for SW Michigan. (Drop the mic!)