Sinking Family Home Releveled with Precision Lift
- Mawson, Canberra, ACT
The Brief
Foundation issues in an Australian home prompt urgent structural assessment
The owner of this three-bedroom home in ACT began noticing signs of house subsidence, including widening wall cracks, uneven floors, and difficulty closing doors and windows. The most visible signs appeared in a corner of the home that had recently been patched and remortared, only for the cracks to reappear and worsen within months.
Concerned about the stability of their house foundation, the homeowner reached out to Buildfix for a professional site assessment. As a licensed builder with years of experience in residential solutions, Buildfix conducted a detailed inspection to understand the type of foundation issues involved.
The homeowner’s priority was to prevent further movement and restore the structural integrity of their family home. They wanted a long-lasting foundation repair solution without major excavation, and were looking for proven technologies like chemical underpinning and ground improvement.
A thorough site assessment was necessary to determine the root cause of the problem, and the homeowner sought advice from a licensed builder and structural engineers to ensure the most effective resolution.
The Challenge
Severe subsidence caused by reactive clay ground beneath brick walls
Our initial site assessment confirmed that the home was affected by serious foundation subsidence in one corner, caused by reactive clay soils that had dried out over time. This led to ground subsidence, undermining the footing and creating a range of structural problems.
Externally, significant wall cracks had reappeared in the exterior walls, particularly in areas that had previously been repaired. Internally, the impact was clear—misaligned doors, gaps in floors, and visible separation between ceilings and walls, all pointing to a loss of structural integrity.
The challenge was to deliver an effective foundation subsidence repair without extensive excavation or disruption to the occupied home. We needed a precise, proven method of ground improvement to stabilise the slab, relevel the structure, and prevent further damage.
This project required the expertise of structural engineers and a tailored underpinning solution using advanced technologies like chemical underpinning and Resinject. With no room for error, our team had to work with care to restore confidence in the home’s foundations or footings, while protecting the long-term stability of the building.
Our Solution
Resin injection underpinning using the Buildfix process to lift and stabilise
After a detailed site assessment, we implemented our DeepLift injection technique to stabilise the foundation and lift the affected corner. This advanced method allowed us to target the underlying cause—unstable reactive clay soils—while providing a minimally invasive foundation repair solution.
We drilled to a depth of 2.2 metres at key points around the subsiding corner and inserted aluminium pipes. Through these pipes, we injected GeoPoly™ , a specialised australian resin designed to stabilise and strengthen the foundation. The resinject technique ensured that the resin expanded deep within the foundation soils, filling voids and compacting the reactive clay to create a solid base. This provided a permanent solution to the house foundation issues caused by ground subsidence.
As the resin expanded, our technicians carefully monitored the process in real-time using a precision laser system. This ensured that the foundation was lifted evenly and with millimetre accuracy, restoring the corner to its original level by 10mm. We also ensured that the slab and footing were adequately reinforced, protecting the home’s structural integrity. The entire process was carried out with minimal disruption to the exterior walls and floors.
Our solution eliminated the need for a more invasive solution like traditional excavation or underpinning, providing a cost-effective and less disruptive repair. The use of resinject and australian resin also meant that the foundation would remain stable for years, supported by the added confidence of our year warranty.
The Outcome
Concrete foundation repaired, cracks closed, and house structurally secure
The results were immediate and long-lasting. Once the resinject level was achieved, movement ceased entirely. Doors and windows realigned, surface steps levelled out, and visible signs of strain vanished.
The homeowner was overjoyed with the outcome, expressing relief at seeing their family home stabilised so quickly and effectively.
“It’s incredible how quickly Buildfix fixed what I thought would take months of rebuilding,” they said.
This project adds to our history of success with clients across NSW and highlights the importance of involving qualified structural consultants and trusted builders when early warning signs appear in a building. By acting fast, the homeowner avoided costlier damage—and gained lasting peace of mind backed by proven results and trusted reviews.
By addressing the root cause of the problem—reactive clay soils—Buildfix provided a permanent solution. The home now stands safe, stable, and secure, giving the homeowner confidence and peace of mind for years to come. This solution not only resolved the foundation issues but also helped prevent potential damage to doors and windows that might have been caused by continued movement.
Related case study: Brick Veranda Realigned to Prevent Roof Collapse
