Soil Nails & Shotcrete

Trusted Foundation Repair from Residential to
Heavy Commercial

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Straight Line Construction has successfully installed soil nails and shotcrete on hundreds of projects throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming.

Soil nails are drilled and grouted tension elements that are utilized to create a reinforced soil mass for either temporary and permanent earth retention or shoring. The design of soil nail walls and shotcrete are largely influenced by the wall height, face batter angle, backslope, and surcharge loads. Soil nails can be designed for a wide range of factors that allow the use of a single type of earth retaining system for a wide variety of conditions.

Soil nails are installed using either open-hole drilling techniques or with hollow bar injection reinforcing. Open hole drilling methods are appropriate in favorable soils where the drill hole can be excavated using conventional drilling or auger techniques and the hole stays open without collapsing. The reinforcing bar is then set into the drill hole and grout is placed with a tremie from the bottom of the hole. If caving soils occur, temporary casing may be used to facilitate soil nail installation. Hollow bar injection reinforcing can be used in a wide range of soil conditions. A sacrificial drill bit is attached to the end of the hollow reinforcing steel and the grout is pumped through the reinforcing, flushing the drill spoils from the drill hole as it is drilled.

Once a row of nails is installed, drain strips and reinforcing are placed against the face of the excavation and shotcrete is pneumatically applied. The next lift is then excavated for the next row of nails and the process is repeated. Shotcrete generally consists of an initial construction facing and, depending on the deign use (temporary or permanent) a, final reinforced shotcrete section may be applied.

Soil nails and shotcrete can be constructed under a wide variety of soils and loading conditions. Excavations for soil nail walls can be constructed vertically, reducing the need to slope back excavations. Differing loading and geometric factors can be accounted for with varying lengths of nails, size of reinforcing, and drill hole diameter, allowing the same earth retention system to be used for the varying conditions.

In what applications can soil nails and shotcrete be used?
Soil nails and shotcrete can be used in a variety of applications including:

  • Temporary earth retention or shoring for excavations.
  • Permanent earth retention and shoring.
  • As tie-backs to provide lateral resistance for existing retaining walls.
Some of the advantages of soil nails and shotcrete:
  • Relatively economical as compared to soldier pile and lagging.
  • Top down installation.
  • Shotcrete facing can be covered with a wide variety of architectural treatments.

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Straight Line Construction

Straight Line Construction has changed a great deal over the last 30+ years in the industry, but one thing remains the same: our commitment to quality and to designing and installing permanent solutions to foundation settlement issues. Beginning with small residential jobs more than 30 years ago when the family-owned company was founded by Tim Davis, Sr., Straight Line Construction today repairs cracking residential and commercial foundations through its Ram Jack product toolkit and designs solutions for large infrastructure and industrial projects. We specialize in matching the right solution to each type of foundation repair issue.

Are you building a new home and want to ensure it has a solid foundation? Or is your house experiencing unwanted sagging or a cracking foundation? Are your walls cracked or your doors and windows sticking? As a bonded, licensed, and fully insured foundation repair company, we are proud to serve Colorado homeowners, builders, and commercial contractors. Our technical certifications enable us to offer the highest quality services and the best American-made, environmentally safe products available for foundation repair. Regardless of how your building is shifting or sinking, we can help you stop it. Our 30 years in the business and our designation as a Ram Jack certified dealer means you get the most technologically savvy solution to fix your foundation.

From the factory to the field, we strive to ensure the quality of our products and workmanship meet the highest industry standards. We work with other vetted professionals in the industry. All of our helical piers, push piers, and mounting brackets are manufactured by Ram Jack in Ada, OK, at an ISO-certified facility with American-made steel. Williams Form Engineering in Golden, CO, manufactures our reinforcing bar for ground anchor systems and shares our commitment to quality control and quality assurance.

About Ram Jack

Ram Jack is a family-owned business that began operations in 1968, in Ada, OK, where we currently source our piers and brackets. Back then, concrete piering was the original repair method used simply because it was the only technology available at the time. Over time, it became evident that concrete piers did not provide long-term stabilization of foundations and only provided a short-term warranty period. To guarantee the highest grade of customer satisfaction, a greater solution needed to be found.

The Ram Jack owners embarked on a research program to develop a foundation repair system to stand the test of time. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office first issued a patent to Ram Jack for its foundation repair system in 1985. Over the next few years, additional refinements and patents have followed, resulting in the strongest patented system in the industry. Ram Jack driven pilings are ICC-ES recognized (International Construction Code—Evaluation Services). Ram Jack is one of only two ICC-ES recognized foundation repair companies in the industry. Ram Jack’s products meet or exceed code requirements set down by ICC-ES for both commercial and residential properties.

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