Once a Florida sinkhole has occurred on the property and a qualified sinkhole engineer has been out to evaluate the sinkhole, and if no structural damage has been found, compaction grouting is a good sinkhole repair solution.

Sinkhole Repair Solutions 

Compaction grouting is a process of injecting a very thick cement mixture underneath the ground where the sinkhole is occurring. Grouting is used to do two things first to seal the top of the limestone layer preventing additional sand from raveling into the sinkhole and then to add density to the soil matrix which will further stabilize the ground. It actually fills in the lime rock and pressurizes the soil in the surrounding areas. The mixture can be injected as far as 80 feet or more underground. This process of sinkhole repair can be used to compact soil or to lift structures that have sunken. Compaction grouting does not lift the house itself. Compaction grouting should normally stop once any lift is noticed on the sinkhole house. In some cases compaction grouting has been thought to have actually worsened the condition of a sink hole home and may even cause the sinkhole to grow more quickly because of the added weight. It has also caused the floor of the sinkhole home to buckle from over pressurizing the ground.

Underpinning simply defined, is a method of subsurface sinkhole repair using repair lifts at multiple points on the foundation using metal piers which are drilled into the limestone underneath, then attached to the sink hole home using brackets. If structural damage from the sink hole has occurred and lifting is needed, underpinning would be a better sinkhole repair solution as this is a much more precise way of lifting. This process of sinkhole repair lifts at multiple points on the foundation directly at the foundation-- simultaneously or differentially. Compaction and underpinning together is usually the very best sink hole repair solution. When it comes to Florida sinkhole repair, I find it prudent to follow what the sink hole engineer's recommendations are and DO NOT cut corners.

Sinkhole Repair and Insurance Claims

If you opt to go forth with the sinkhole repair understand that insurance companies normally wish to avoid paying the policy limits and will often discourage owner's of sink hole homes to use combined methods of sink hole repair such as exterior perimeter underpinning coupled with interior pinning. The cost of the sink hole repair when using combined methods usually exceeds the available property insurance policy limits. Many owners of sink hole homes will then opt for or are forced into the most cost efficient method of repair, which often results in future collapses and often worse sink hole damage than what previously occurred.