How The Dwyer Company Stabilized a Settling Dugout at Beechwood High School
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Deep Foundation Systems, Helical Piles
Beechwood High School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky had a dugout that was settling at the base of an existing hillside. The Dwyer Company worked with Civil Solutions (engineer) and general contractor Leo J Brielmaier Co. to replace the underpinning called for in the plans with a system of grade beams and helical piers. Crews installed five helical piers at a 5 kip design capacity, tied them into the grade beams, and finished the job in two days through snow and extreme cold. The dugout now bears on a foundation built for it.
Facing a settling structure on a school campus or an athletic facility?
Quick Facts
- Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
- Project Type: Commercial – Repair
- Timeline: 2 days
- Foundation System: Five helical piers tied into a grade beam system
- Design Load Capacity: 5 kips
- Site Conditions: Existing hillside beside the dugout; snow and extreme cold during installation
- Owner: Beechwood High School
- Partners: Leo J Brielmaier Co. (general contractor), Civil Solutions (engineer)
The Challenge
The dugout sat at the base of an existing hillside and had been settling. Plans for the repair called for underpinning the structure, which depends on the existing foundation being sound enough to pick up and transfer load. The structure at Beechwood was in poor enough condition that an underpinning sequence would have put load into concrete that could not hold it, so the design had to change before any equipment went to work.
Weather set the pace. The job ran at the end of January, and crews worked through snow and extreme cold on a hillside site.
Key Project Details
helical piers, designed for 5 kips
Foundation redesigned from the underpinning system shown on the plans, after review of the existing structural conditions
days start to finish, installed in snow and extreme cold
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company and Civil Solutions developed a system that pairs grade beams with helical piers. Crews installed five helical piers at a 5 kip design capacity around the dugout, then tied them into grade beams that pick the structure up and carry it into the piers. The grade beams spread the dugout’s load across all five piers, so the existing foundation stops carrying weight it had already failed to hold.
The winter window shaped the sequence. Helical piers advance with compact equipment and take load as soon as they are tied in, which kept two days of work moving through snow and cold. The Dwyer Company coordinated the install with Leo J Brielmaier Co. on site and handed back a dugout supported on its new foundation.
The Impact
Engineered for the structure that was there
The grade beam and pier system supports the dugout without asking the existing foundation to carry an underpinning load.
Two days, in winter
Snow and extreme cold ran through the whole work window, and the crew still finished in two days.
Built around the hillside
Piers went in beside the existing hillside, so the dugout stayed where it was and the slope stayed intact.
Engineering and field work collaboration
Civil Solutions and The Dwyer Company designed the replacement system together once the underpinning plan proved unworkable, which kept the redesign from becoming a schedule problem.
Why Helical Piers?
Helical piers gave The Dwyer Company a way to carry the dugout on new bearing beside an existing hillside, in the middle of a Kentucky January.
- Capacity verified as they go in – Installation torque correlates to capacity, so each pier is confirmed during the install instead of after.
- Cold weather installs – Piers carry load as soon as they are connected, with no cure time holding up the schedule.
- Compact equipment – Crews advance piers with small machines, which suits tight sites next to slopes, fields, and existing structures.
- Adaptable in the field – Depth, helix configuration, and pier count can be adjusted to what crews find on site, which matters on a repair where the existing conditions differ from the plans.
Why Choose The Dwyer Company for structural integrity?
Deep History • Solid Choice
The Dwyer Company’s proven track record in commercial and industrial foundation systems made us the trusted partner for the Beechwood High School dugout repair. Working with Civil Solutions and Leo J Brielmaier Co., the team engineered a foundation the original plans could not deliver and installed it in two days.
Have a structure on your campus or property that is moving?