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Customer story · Geobear

Geobear Stabilizes Workshop Foundation at One-Quarter the Cost of Traditional Underpinning

Barry Carlino · Recorded 12/22/2024

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Share One · December 22, 2024
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Barry Carlino chose Geobear to stabilize a sinking workshop corner in South East Wales. Geobear delivered a solution that was four times less expensive than traditional concrete underpinning. The project was completed in just one morning without moving furniture or fittings, providing a significantly faster and less disruptive alternative to a multi-day hit-and-miss schedule.

At a glance

Primary Use Case
Underpinning a workshop corner built on a hill with structural cracks.
Reported Result
Cost was 75% lower than traditional concrete underpinning methods.
Time to Value
One morning of work compared to several days for traditional methods.
Geobear was significantly less expensive, hit and miss schedule and four times the cost.
It would have been several days of work rather than in the case of Geobear, it was one morning.
With Geobear could do all the work with all the furniture and fittings in the workshop still in place.

The interview

Who are you and where is your property located?

Hi, I'm Barry Carlino and I live in South East Wales. We have a separate garage and workshop which is in a separate building from our house.

What was the specific structural issue you were facing?

It's built on the side of a hill and one corner the workshop had cracks in the wall and it was clear that there was a lack of underpinning for one corner of the building.

What traditional solutions did you investigate first?

We investigated getting a structural engineer involved who developed for us a hit and miss schedule which indicates where you need to put traditional concrete based underpinning under the concrete raft on which the workshop was sitting.

Why did you choose Geobear over the traditional hit-and-miss schedule?

Three reasons really. One, was Geobear was significantly less expensive; the hit and miss schedule was four times the cost. It would also have taken an enormous amount of time to do—several days of work rather than one morning. Finally, the disruption; Geobear could do all the work with all the furniture and fittings in the workshop still in place.

What was your experience with the Geobear staff?

Johnny, who was the primary contact, was always professional, kept us informed, and chased but in a nice way. At no point in time did I feel hassled or pressured into doing anything.

How easy was it to schedule the actual work?

When we finally got the quotes in and decided to go with Geobear, it was so easy in terms of scheduling work to be done. The first time we couldn't make it because we were going to be away on holiday, so they provided another day within a couple of days of the original schedule.

Frequently asked

How does Geobear's price compare to traditional concrete underpinning?

According to Barry Carlino, the traditional hit-and-miss concrete schedule was quoted at four times the cost of the Geobear solution. This made Geobear significantly less expensive for his workshop repair.

Do I need to clear out my building before Geobear starts work?

No, Barry Carlino noted that Geobear could complete the work with all furniture and fittings still in place. This avoided the disruption of clearing the workshop, which would have been required for traditional builders.

What preparation is required by the homeowner for Geobear?

Preparation was minimal; Barry Carlino only had to remove some overgrown vegetation to prepare the working area. He described the process as having very little for him to do personally.

Full transcript

A lot of our neighbors were just genuinely interested in what was going on and I heartily recommend Geobear. From the price perspective and just dealing with the company they've been a very easy company to deal with. Hi, I'm Barry Carlino and I live in South East Wales. We have a separate garage and workshop which is in a separate building from our house. It's built on the side of a hill and one corner the workshop, had cracks in the wall and it was clear that there was a lack of underpinning for one corner of the building. We knew that we needed to have some extra underpinning put in there, so one of the things we investigated was to get a structural engineer involved who develop for us a hit and miss schedule which indicates where you need to put traditional concrete based underpinning under the concrete raft on which the the workshop was sitting and from looking at that schedule it looked like there was going to be a significant amount of work there, so alternative was Geobear, which offers a different sort of solution altogether. Well, three reasons really. One, was Geobear was significantly less expensive, hit and miss schedule and four times the cost. It would also have taken an enormous amount of time to do. It would have been several days of work rather than in the case of Geobear, it was one morning and just the disruption involved so with Geobear could do all the work with all the furniture and fittings in the workshop still in place. If we we needed to hit and miss schedule, we'd likely have to clear the workshop, clear a space for builders to work so it was just so much less disruption. It was very minimal. I mean, literally just to prepare kind of the working area they'd have just get rid of any overgrown vegetation. There really was very little for me to do. Johnny, who was primary contact, was always professional, kept us informed, chased but in a nice way so made sure he in contact but I never, no point in time did I feel hassled or in any way being pressured into doing anything. So from that perspective it was great and then when we made the decision when we actually finally got the quotes in and decided to go with Geobear it was so easy in terms of scheduling work to be done. The first time we couldn't make it because we were going to be away on holiday, so they provided in another day within a couple of days of the original schedule, it was also very easy.

About Geobear

Geobear is a specialist ground engineering firm providing non-disruptive geopolymer solutions for foundation settlement and subsidence. They serve homeowners and property investors by strengthening unstable ground and repairing structural cracks without the need for major excavation. For customers like Barry Carlino, Geobear transforms properties with sinking foundations into stabilized structures in a fraction of the time required by traditional underpinning.

Industry
Ground Engineering Services

Topics

  • foundation repair
  • residential
  • homeowner
  • cost savings
  • subsidence
  • geopolymer

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