Foundation Repair on Roosevelt Island, Manhattan

Local Conditions

What Does Foundation Work Look Like on a High Rise Island?

It looks different from a row house cellar. Mid rise and high rise complexes sit on deep concrete foundations designed by engineers. What owners and managers see are cracks in below grade walls, leaks in garage levels and damaged concrete at plaza edges. These are the items we assess and repair.

The island is surrounded by the East River. We cannot confirm specific flood issues for any building, so we never assume them. We look at the actual walls, joints and drains.

Most of the housing was built from the 1970s onward. Concrete from that period can show cracking, rust staining where reinforcing steel has corroded, and leaking joints at construction seams.

Plaza edges deserve a look as well. Where a paved plaza meets a building wall, the joint can open and let rain run behind the wall. That water finds its way into lower levels, so sealing and re-forming the edge is often part of a foundation scope. Large owners also benefit from a written record of crack locations, which lets managers compare conditions from one year to the next.

Large buildings have large consequences. A small crack can be nothing or can be an early sign of movement, and only a careful look can tell.