House Repiling

building inspecition

Repiling Christchurch Homes 

Repiling a house or office in Christchurch is a common earthquake-related foundation repair. The process is reasonably simple, but it does mean that your houses will be out of action for approximately 2-4 weeks. Firstly, all of the floor coverings need to be removed, including carpets and underlays, and then we'll secure the house structure in place to control stability and relevel the floor if required. Once completed, we'll provide and install new, quality piles as per the engineering designs.

 House Repiling & Insurance

House repiling doesn't have to be earthquake-related; it can simply have deteriorated over time. Insurance companies often make this a requirement to reinsure the house if you are looking at buying an existing home. In some areas, it's a mandatory requirement by insurance companies to have your foundations upgraded - restrengthened, especially in earthquake-prone areas, such as Christchurch & Wellington.

Repiling A House

Old-style piles were made from concrete, and over time, or if the house moves, these tend to deteriorate and crumble and deteriorate the foundations. Nowadays in New Zealand, repiling house foundations occurs with new-style piles that are made from treated timber that are load-tested and designed to last at least 100 years. Wrightway only uses the latest technology when lifting and recalibrating houses, ensuring your home will remain stable, you're floors are perfectly balanced, and your home can endure nature's unpredictable surprises as best as possible.

The House Repiling Process

  • 1

    Connect With Us

    Initially, customers usually email or call about repiling Christchurch homes. We’ll set a time for our senior-level staff to visit and undergo a free inspection of everything related to repiling a house.

  • 2

    Structural Engineering Design

    First, we’ll need to obtain a structural engineering design, drawn up for the piles that require replacement during your house repiling project.

  • 3

    Consent

    We then need to apply for consent after the structural design. This can take 2-4 weeks for the design, and then exemption consent can take 1-2 weeks.

house-inspection
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  • 4

    Piling Commences

    Once consent has been approved, we start the construction phase of house repiling. Works can take up to 4 weeks, depending on the size of the project.

  • 5

    While Onsite

    When repiling a house, you’ll need to find alternative accommodation during this period, and if this is an earthquake or insurance-related requirement. You’ll find that this may be paid for in your claim.

  • 6

    Works Complete

    Once the process is finished, you’ll be walked through your property with a level tool, and explained how the house repiling process went. We’ll ask you to measure and sign-off that you’re 100% happy with our workmanship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Repiling a house is reestablishing the foundation of the house. It's reconnecting the house to the bearer to the pile, to the ground and the process of replacing damaged or defect piles that are used to form the foundation of a building. Over time, these can rot and settle unevenly. They can also move during earthquakes.

The cost for one pile in New Zealand is usually quoted at approximately $350 per pile. This includes the excavation for the pile, the installation of the pile and the connections from the pile to the bearer. This does not include any engineering fees or enabling works to get to the pile.

You may notice your floors are uneven, this may well be caused by ground settlement that was evident pre-earthquake. Houses are built and over the years there is a process of natural settlement, usually this settlement can take up to 100 years to fully settle, this depends on which foundation type that the house has been built on. However, you may have noticed that the uneven floor became worse following the earthquakes. If this is the case, check to see if you have any uneven piles that are cracked or leaning. The only true way to see what the floor levels are like is to use a professional zip level to take the levels of the floor; we set the datum level to zero, and then we check each room, usually one in the middle of the room and one in each corner of the room. If there are levels higher or lower than the MBIE guidelines. If the levels were outside of tolerance, then we would carry out a sub floor inspection to understand exactly what is happening and what the next action is. Note that it is very rare for an entire house to need repiling in full.

You may notice loose or damaged piles, even piles that are cracked or leaning. We remove the old pile, then we dig out the foundation for the pile; we pour concrete and we put the pile in place, ensuring a minimum of 100mm of concrete is below the pile and on top of the ground, and then pour concrete around the base of the pile ensuring it is plum. We then connect the pile to the bearer. Installing new piles requires a structural engineer to design the pile as well as provide a producer statement to sing the works off. You need to be a licensed building practitioner or be supervised by one.

Piles need to be embedded 500mm in the ground.

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