A Settling Rear Extension, Phasi Charoen — 4 Micropiles, Around the Plumbing

Rear extensions like this one in Phasi Charoen are often built on shallower footings than the main house, so over time they settle into an uneven step and begin to separate from the original structure. The twist here: water pipes ran directly under the extension floor, so the fix had to be precise and route around them. URETEK chose micropiles — point-by-point and controllable — with no need to demolish the whole room.

🧩 The Problem: An Extension Settling Away from the Main House

An extension on shallow footings usually settles faster than a main house on deep piles, creating an uneven floor, splits along the joint line, and doors and windows that stick. Left alone, the gap only widens.

🚰 The Catch: Water Pipes Under the Floor

Opening the floor at the planned points revealed water pipes running beneath the extension. The team excavated carefully and set the pile positions to avoid the pipe runs so the home's plumbing stayed untouched — an advantage of micropiles, which work in small, adjustable points.

⚙️ The Fix: Four Micropiles Carrying the Extension

Load brackets were fixed to the existing footing/beam, then steel micropiles (ASTM A53 tube) were hydraulically jacked, segment by segment, at all four corners of the extension down to firm strata — the hydraulic gauge checked on every pile to confirm real load capacity (5–10 tonnes each).

📊 Re-Leveling, Controlled to the Millimetre

Once the required pressure was reached, the extension was lifted gently back toward level, with every pile logged — 320–350 bar, 22–23 m deep, and lift controlled to +0.5–1.0 mm. The pile heads were then locked to the brackets and the floor concreted shut.

✅ The Result: The Extension Reconnected to the House

With the load transferred onto every pile, the extension was stable and back near the level of the main house. The floor was closed and restored, the plumbing still fully working — backed by a 12-month settlement warranty.