Commercial real estate company, Insite Realty, leases and manages a prodigious number of properties in Houston. At their property, West Belt Business Park, located on Houston’s Westside, property managers noticed that two business suites had subsiding concrete steps. Both sets of steps had subsided approximately four inches. The sunken concrete steps created a trip hazard at one of the suites and a dramatic and inconvenient raised step up at the other suite. Concerned about the tripping hazard and the inconvenience that the subsided steps created for the tenants, Insite Realty contacted URETEK ICR Gulf Coast.

After viewing the steps, a URETEK ICR Gulf Coast representative deduced that weak soil strata, coupled with everyday use, caused the steps to subside. In addition to lifting the steps, the soil would need to be stabilized to prevent future subsidence. URETEK is capable of doing both—with zero excavation—because they utilize an innovative polyurethane injection method pioneered and mastered by URETEK. Insite Realty accepted URETEK’s proposal and technicians began making repairs.

First, URETEK ICR Gulf Coast’s trained technicians take on-site elevations and measurements at one of the subsiding steps, and then drill a few 5/8 inch holes at precise locations on the steps. The penny-sized holes are injection points for the polyurethane. After drilling the holes, they inject URETEK’s patented polyurethane. The polyurethane will land in-between the soil and foundation of the steps; within seconds it will begin to expand start stabilizing the soil. As the polyurethane expands, it will push against the step’s foundation, compressing the soil as well as filling any voids created by erosion. Once the soil reaches its point of refusal, the polyurethane will push against the soil—causing the steps to gently raise the sunken concrete. URETEK’s polyurethane expansion is very predictable, but to be sure as not to overlift, technicians use sensitive and highly calibrated tools, as well as a “slow-click” injection method.

After

The sunken steps were successfully lifted back to their original height and URETEK technicians will repeat the same process at the other location. From start to finish, the process only took three hours to complete. Quick and convenient, URETEK prides itself on the ease and speed of their slab lifting method.

Houston is ranked No. 1 among the top U.S. Manufacturing cities, has one of the largest medical complexes in the world, and is a trading gateway to Mexico and the rest of Latin America. With all of Houston’s business growth, property management, leasing, and development is a booming market and URETEK ICR Gulf Coast is proud to service commercial property management companies like Insite Realty.URETEK ICR Gulf Coast has provided innovative and long-lasting repairs to multiple property management companies throughout the Greater Houston area for more than thirteen years.