Living near Rush Lake in Stockton, Utah, the homeowner’s property faced a critical issue: their house required structural piers, but the installers discovered that soil, ten feet down—even beneath the foundation—was saturated with water. Installing piers into wet soil is ineffective; they require firm, solid ground to bear the home’s load properly. Rush Lake sits at the lowest geographic point in Stockton, so when it rains or snow melts, surface runoff flows into this property’s soil on its way to the lake.
During periods of heavy precipitation, the homeowner resorted to having a neighbor dig trenches in their front yard to redirect water away from the foundation. To solve this more permanently, we developed a drainage plan: install a perimeter drainage pipe at the foundation and a trench-pipe system to deflect incoming water from reaching the home. This system will create dry, stable conditions that allow the structural piers to function properly—and ultimately enable the homeowner to sell the home in the future. We planned a follow‑up visit as a special inspection to ensure the drainage and deflection systems are installed correctly.