Ground conditions · Karst & Sinkhole Risk
Karst — Voids You Cannot See
Much of central Florida sits on limestone that groundwater has dissolved over time, leaving voids and raveling zones. It is the one condition where the investigation matters more than the design.
Send the geotechnical report and the site plan. You get a written read on the water, the excavation and the risk.
Self-perform
Dewatering and support of excavation, in house
Tidal
Deep foundations in tidal environments
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
Water
The variable that decides the schedule in Florida
Dewatering can be the trigger
Lowering the water table in karst can remove the support holding raveled soil in place and initiate a collapse that was not going to happen otherwise. This is the condition where the act of preparing the site creates the hazard, and it is why karst is a specialist geotechnical question before it is a construction one.
How the risk is handled
- Geophysical survey to find anomalies borings would miss entirely.
- Borings targeted at the anomalies, not on a convenient grid.
- Grouting to fill voids and stabilize raveling zones.
- Foundations designed to span a potential void, not just to bear.
- Dewatering minimized and staged, because rapid drawdown is the trigger.
How we handle it
- 01Insist on geophysics before excavation planning in known karst.
- 02Target investigation at anomalies rather than a uniform grid.
- 03Grout where the investigation shows it is warranted.
- 04Design foundations for a span condition where risk remains.
- 05Stage and limit drawdown, and monitor continuously.
This is the ground condition where we will most readily tell an owner to spend more on investigation before spending anything on construction. Geophysics is cheap next to a collapse, and it is the only tool that looks between the borings.
Said plainly
Where we stop
In known karst we will not price excavation from borings alone. If the geophysical survey has not been done, that is the first item, and we will say so even when it delays the job.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can dewatering cause a sinkhole?
- It can. Rapid drawdown in karst can trigger a collapse, which is why it is staged and monitored.
- Do borings find voids?
- Only by luck. Geophysics looks between the borings, which is the point.
- Can voids be grouted?
- Yes, and it is common practice where the investigation shows it is warranted.
- Is central Florida all karst?
- Much of it is karst-prone. The county and the geotechnical engineer determine the risk for your site.
Capabilities
Construction Dewatering
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Support of Excavation
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Sheet Piling
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Secant & Slurry Walls
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Auger Cast Piles
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Helical Piles
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.