Trust the East Coast’s premier earth shoring and excavation support experts. Serving commercial and civil projects nationwide, SJ Hauck Construction delivers engineered ground shoring systems built for the geological realities of every job site like from the coastal soils of the Jersey Shore to the dense bedrocks in Manhattan and Philadelphia.
Deep excavation is one of the most risk-intensive phases of any construction project. Without a properly designed earth-shoring system, the lateral pressure from surrounding soil can destabilize adjacent structures, damage underground utilities, and endanger workers below grade. Our shoring solutions are engineered from the ground up combining site-specific soil analysis, licensed professional engineering, and proven installation to keep your project safe, compliant, and on schedule.
Stabilize Excavation Walls
Resist lateral soil and hydrostatic pressure to keep excavation walls from collapsing inward during deep builds.
Protect Adjacent Structures
Shield neighboring buildings, roadways, and utilities from settlement or movement caused by nearby excavation.
Enable Deep Foundation Work
Create a safe, accessible work area for foundation installation, basement construction, and below-grade mechanical systems.
Ensure Code Compliance
Meet local building code requirements — including NYC Chapter 33 and the NJ Uniform Construction Code — for excavation support and adjacent property protection.
Reduce Risk of Costly Delays
Prevent mid-project failures, regulatory shutdowns, or liability exposure from unsupported excavations.
Support Tight Urban Jobsites
Deploy minimally invasive ground shoring systems where space is constrained by neighboring structures or active roadways.
One of the most common earth shoring methods for urban construction, soldier pile and lagging systems consist of wide-flange steel H-piles driven or drilled at regular intervals, with horizontal timber or concrete lagging placed between them as excavation proceeds. This system excels in cohesive soils and mixed urban geology, offering a cost-effective solution where groundwater intrusion is manageable. SJ Hauck’s crews are experienced in deploying soldier pile systems in tight right-of-way conditions, protecting adjacent foundations and utilities throughout the excavation process.
Steel sheet piling provides continuous, interlocking ground shoring ideal for waterfront construction, flood-zone projects, and any site where soil permeability or groundwater pressure demands a near-watertight barrier. We install sheet pile walls for cofferdam construction, riverfront excavations, and coastal commercial developments across New Jersey, Delaware, and the New York metro area. Sheet piling can be installed as a temporary earth shoring measure or as a permanent structural component, depending on project requirements.
For projects in high-water-table environments — including lakefront developments, urban infill adjacent to waterways, and coastal construction — secant pile walls offer the highest level of ground shoring integrity. Secant walls are constructed by overlapping alternating primary and secondary drilled concrete piles to create a virtually impermeable earth retention barrier. Tangent pile walls, where piles are installed side by side without overlap, provide a similar solution where water infiltration is a lower concern. Both systems are among the most structurally robust forms of ground shoring available for below-grade construction.
When a project requires ground shoring that doesn’t depend on internal bracing — such as large open excavations for commercial foundations or underground parking structures — tieback anchor systems provide lateral support from outside the excavation plane. We drill grouted tiebacks or soil nail anchors into the earth behind the shoring wall to transfer lateral forces away from the excavation. These systems free up the interior work zone and are commonly paired with soldier pile walls or secant pile systems for maximum efficiency.
In areas where tiebacks are not feasible due to property line restrictions or underground obstructions, internally braced raker systems provide a reliable alternative for ground shoring. Inclined steel rakers bear against a kicker pad at the base of the excavation, transferring horizontal soil loads into the excavation floor. SJ Hauck’s engineers design custom raker configurations to work around the spatial constraints common to dense urban jobsites.
Earth shoring is one of the backbones of a Support of Excavation (SOE) system. SOE is the comprehensive engineering framework encompassing design, permitting, monitoring, and installation that ensures the safety of an entire excavation zone, from the shoring wall face to the adjacent properties above grade.
SJ Hauck Construction delivers complete SOE packages, including:
Whether your project requires a standalone earth shoring system or a fully engineered SOE package, our team handles every phase from design through demobilization.
Effective ground shoring requires more than engineering expertise — it demands the right machinery, properly deployed. SJ Hauck operates a heavy-duty fleet purpose-built for earth retention and excavation support:
Hydraulic Sheet Pile Drivers and Vibratory Hammers
For fast, low-vibration installation of steel sheet piling in proximity to occupied structures or sensitive utilities.
Drill Rigs for Soldier Piles and Secant Walls
Capable of penetrating mixed urban geology, including cobble, fill, and soft rock, to reach specified depths required by the shoring design.
Grouting Equipment for Tieback and Anchor Systems
High-pressure grouting rigs for post-tensioned tieback installation, ensuring rated load capacity and long-term anchor performance.
Monitoring Instrumentation
Inclinometers, settlement plates, and vibration monitors deployed throughout the excavation zone to track wall deflection and ground movement in real time.
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.
SJ Hauck Construction is headquartered in Absecon, NJ, and delivers specialized earth shoring and ground shoring services throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Our teams understand the soil profiles, groundwater conditions, and code environments that define each market.
New Jersey: Home Base for Ground Shoring
New York: Precision Ground Shoring in the City and Beyond
Pennsylvania & Delaware: Industrial and Coastal Excavation Support
Earth shoring refers to any temporary structural system designed to support the walls of an open excavation, preventing surrounding soil from collapsing into the work area. It is required whenever an excavation extends below or near the foundation level of an adjacent structure, utility corridor, or roadway — and is mandated by building codes in virtually all major jurisdictions for excavations beyond a certain depth.
The terms are often used interchangeably in the industry. “Earth shoring” typically refers to the structural systems that resist lateral soil pressure at the excavation face, while “ground shoring” is a broader colloquial term that may also encompass surface stabilization, slope protection, and related earthwork support measures. At SJ Hauck, we use both terms to describe our full suite of excavation retention services.
Soil conditions are the primary driver of system selection. Dense urban fill or cohesive clays often support soldier pile and lagging systems, which rely on the soil’s natural arching capacity between piles. Granular or sandy soils, and sites with high groundwater require continuous systems like sheet piling or secant pile walls to prevent soil migration and water infiltration into the excavation. Our team conducts site-specific geotechnical analysis before recommending a shoring approach.
Most jurisdictions require PE-stamped design drawings, an approved means-and-methods narrative, and a monitoring plan for any excavation that could impact adjacent properties. For example, in NYC, Chapter 33 of the NYC Building Code imposes additional requirements, including pre-construction surveys of neighboring structures and ongoing vibration monitoring. SJ Hauck’s in-house design staff prepares and submits all required documentation for projects in our core markets.
With the right system and equipment, we can regularly install ground shoring within close proximity to occupied structures, depending on a variety of factors if course. Low-vibration methods such as hydraulic press-in sheet piling and drilled soldier pile installation minimize impact on adjacent foundations. The specific proximity limits are governed by the project’s geotechnical conditions, the adjacent foundation type, and local regulatory requirements, all of which our engineers evaluate during the design phase.
