Trust in the East Coast’s premier structural support, relocation, and demolition experts. Serving nationwide with deep understanding of unique geological and structural challenges, from the clay-heavy soils and high water tables of the lakefronts to the dense urban constraints of Manhattan and Philadelphia.
Renovating a large commercial property involves complex safety considerations. Neighboring buildings often require stabilization, or foundations may need to be reinforced to reach the depth of a new construction site. Whether your project calls for relocating structural members, adding openings to load-bearing walls, or remediating corroded supports that have begun to buckle, our comprehensive shoring and underpinning solutions ensure a seamless and safe project delivery.
Prevent Structural Failure
Stabilize foundations against soil instability, water damage, or excessive loads.
Enhance Load-Bearing Capacity
Reinforce existing foundations to support heavier structures or additional stories.
Resolve Foundation Issues
Address settling cracks, uneven floors, and water infiltration.
Protect Property Investments
Safeguard the value of commercial assets against costly repairs or devaluation.
Accommodate Expansions or Renovations
Create a stable foundation for future additions or structural modifications.
Ensure Workplace Safety
Maintain structural integrity to provide a safe and hazard-free work environment.
We provide robust earth shoring systems and Support of Excavation (SOE) essential for maintaining the integrity of adjacent buildings, roadways, and utilities during deep builds. Our team analyzes site-specific conditions to deploy the most effective types of shoring, including soldier pile and lagging, secant/tangent walls for water-tightness in high-water-table regions, and steel sheet piling for waterfront structures. These systems act as a temporary shield, bracing against immense lateral soil pressure to carve out a stable work area.
When a renovation requires the removal of specific building sections or load-bearing walls, our structural shoring systems provide temporary reinforcement to prevent collapse. We utilize high-capacity equipment like raking shores for lateral stability and precision needle beam shoring—the “gold standard” for facade retention and suspending entire walls while work proceeds beneath them. Our engineers specialize in heavy load shoring and pressurizing to ensure that dynamic construction forces never compromise the building’s frame.
For permanent foundational enhancement, we specialize in concrete underpinning and piling techniques designed to transfer structural weight to deeper, more stable soil strata. Our methods include mass concrete underpinning (the traditional pit method) for sequential excavation, as well as high-capacity deep foundations using helical piles or micropiles. These solutions are ideal for stabilizing sinking structures or reinforcing older foundations to meet current commercial load requirements.
Our capability to conquer the most complex leveling and support projects is backed by an advanced fleet of heavy-duty machinery:
High-Pressure Hydraulic Jacks
We utilize jacks with capacities ranging from standard units to specialty systems capable of lifting up to 1,000 tons.
Unified Jacking Systems
For projects requiring absolute precision, our unified jacking machines use synchronous technology to raise or lower multiple points at the exact same rate. This prevents structural stress or cracking by ensuring the load remains perfectly level, regardless of weight distribution.
Precision Load Points
Our systems use high-yield cylinder pads and custom grillage to ensure even load distribution across all support points, protecting the existing structural fabric from localized distortion.
If your project requires shop drawings, PE-stamped plans, or approved “means and methods” documentation, our design staff works closely with yours to provide all required submittals for regulatory compliance in NJ, NY, PA, and DE.
While SJ Hauck Construction is headquartered in Absecon NJ, our specialized expertise in structural support and soil stabilization makes us the go-to partner for complex projects throughout the United States.
We don’t just work in these areas; we understand their unique terrain and soil composition, from the shifting sands of the Jersey Shore to Long Island.
We provide turn-key shoring and underpinning services across the Garden State, tailored to local soil profiles:
While often used interchangeably, “support of excavation” (SOE) is the comprehensive engineering term for systems designed to protect the sides of a cut. Shoring is a primary component of SOE, acting as the temporary “muscle” that prevents soil movement to ensure the safety of workers and the integrity of adjacent roadways or utilities. Common SOE techniques include soldier pile and lagging, secant walls, and sheet piling.
The main distinction lies in the duration and objective of the support. Shoring provides temporary stability for soil and nearby structures during active excavation or renovation to prevent collapses while work is in progress. Underpinning is a permanent structural modification that strengthens or extends an existing foundation, transferring the building’s weight to deeper, more stable soil to ensure long-term stability.
Geology plays a critical role in system selection. The region features clay-heavy soils and high water tables that necessitate specialized water-tight solutions like secant pile walls or shotcrete application. In contrast, the sandy soils of coastal Delaware or southern New Jersey often require deep foundation systems like helical piles to reach competent bearing strata.
Underpinning is typically required when a foundation shows signs of distress, such as settling cracks or uneven floors, or when the building’s load-bearing requirements change. Common triggers include adding additional stories to a building, installing heavy industrial machinery, or lowering a basement floor to increase usable square footage.
Yes. Local building codes, such as the NYC Administrative Code and the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, mandate that any excavation deeper than an adjacent foundation must be supported by underpinning or shoring to protect neighboring property. These designs often require a professional engineer’s (PE) seal and regular monitoring to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
