How The Dwyer Company Supported a New Canopy Structure at Mike’s Car Wash in Cincinnati
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Deep Foundation Systems, Helical Piles
Mike’s Car Wash added a canopy structure at its Cincinnati location, and exposing the column pads turned up soil conditions worse than the design anticipated. The Dwyer Company installed nine helical piers at those locations, working with general contractor JDL Warm Construction and engineer Civil Solutions. Each pier reaches 14 feet and carries a design capacity of 11 kips in compression and 5 kips in tension. Dwyer came back with a deep foundation approach quickly, which held the project’s downtime down. The car wash stayed active throughout.
Excavation turning up soil the design did not plan for?
Quick Facts
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Project Type: Commercial – New Construction
- Owner: Mike’s Car Wash
- Structure: Column pads for a new canopy structure
- Foundation System: 9 helical piers at the column pad locations
- Pier Capacity: 11 kips in compression, 5 kips in tension
- Pier Depth: 14 feet
- Soil Conditions: Soils at the column pads worse than anticipated; car wash active during the work
- Partners: JDL Warm Construction (general contractor), Civil Solutions (engineer)
The Challenge
The canopy column pads were designed on conventional footings. Exposing them told a different story, since the soils at those locations would not carry a footing. Work stops at that point until the foundation question gets answered, so the value of the response was in how fast it came.
The car wash was open through all of it. Crews worked around a business still running, which sets limits on staging and on where equipment can sit. Attention to what was happening around the work mattered as much as what was happening in it.
Key Project Details
helical piers installed at the canopy column pad locations
in compression and 5 kips in tension designed into each pier
feet depth of piers installed
Deep foundation system substituted for conventional footings once the soils were exposed
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company installed nine helical piers at the column pad locations, each reaching 14 feet with a design capacity of 11 kips in compression and 5 kips in tension. The piers carry the canopy loads past the material that would not support a footing, which put the column pads back on a foundation the structure could use.
Speed carried as much weight as the design here. Dwyer got to the site, worked the conditions through with Civil Solutions and JDL Warm Construction, and had an approach in hand quickly, so the schedule gave up as little time as possible. The crew installed the full pier layout around a car wash that kept operating beside them.
The Impact
Foundation matched to the soils found
The piers replaced conventional footings once the exposed conditions showed what the ground would carry.
Downtime held short
A quick site visit and design response kept the project moving rather than parked.
Capacity in compression and tension
Each of the nine piers was designed for 11 kips in compression and 5 kips in tension.
Installed around an operating business
The car wash stayed active while the crew worked the column pad locations.
Why Helical Piers?
Helical piers let The Dwyer Company replace conventional footings quickly once the soils at the column pads showed what they were.
- Quick to design and install – Piers can be sized and set fast when a field condition changes the plan.
- Bypasses unsuitable soils – Piers advance past material that will not carry a footing.
- Compression and tension – A single pier can be designed for both, which matters under a canopy that picks up uplift.
- Small equipment footprint – Compact machines work around a business that stays open.
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 when the soils at Mike’s Car Wash came up short of the design. Working alongside JDL Warm Construction and Civil Solutions, our crew put nine helical piers under the canopy column pads and got the project moving again.
Have a field condition that just changed your foundation design?