Pelican Road Schofields - Residential Estate Remediation
Estate-wide crack injection across five residential addresses
The Challenge
The Pelican Road residential estate in Schofields experienced systematic structural cracking across five properties (addresses 12C, 16A, 16B, and two shoring wall locations), first identified in March 2023 during developer handover inspections. Comprehensive geotechnical investigation revealed that reactive clay soil conditions common to Western Sydney, combined with inadequate foundation design for soil type, had caused differential settlement affecting all properties within the development's northern section. The five affected homeowners - all first-time buyers who had purchased new construction - faced a coordinated crisis as cracks widened progressively over 18 months, with some exceeding 15mm width and extending through both internal and external walls. Insurance claim complexity multiplied due to the multi-property nature, requiring extensive documentation and coordination between five separate insurers, the original developer, and council building certification authorities. Traditional single-property remediation would cost $80,000+ per home with 6+ week timelines, totaling $400,000+ and 30+ weeks of sequential work. The estate-wide approach needed to address not just individual slabs but also shared shoring walls between properties, requiring coordinated access and repair scheduling across multiple occupied residences. Reactive soil management demanded long-term solutions beyond simple crack filling, necessitating comprehensive drainage improvements and foundation stabilization systems.
Our Solution
We developed a comprehensive estate-wide remediation strategy treating all five properties as a single integrated project, achieving economies of scale while maintaining customized solutions for each property's specific crack patterns. The systematic approach involved initial geotechnical stabilization using deep resin injection to address underlying reactive soil movement, followed by targeted crack injection using flexible epoxy formulations designed to accommodate future minor soil fluctuations. Our project management team coordinated all five insurance claims simultaneously, providing standardized documentation packages that expedited approval processes across multiple insurers. The phased timeline strategically sequenced work from properties 12C → 16A → 16B → Shoring Wall 1 → Shoring Wall 2, optimizing equipment mobilization while minimizing impact on each homeowner through staggered 3-5 day property-specific work windows. The crack injection methodology employed pressure-monitored epoxy injection ensuring complete void filling while avoiding over-pressurization that could create additional cracking. Specialized flexible epoxy formulations provided structural bonding strength while maintaining sufficient elasticity to accommodate the ±2mm seasonal soil movement typical of Schofields' reactive clay conditions. Comprehensive drainage improvements were installed across all five properties using integrated stormwater management systems that reduced localized soil moisture variation by 60%. Ongoing monitoring programs tracked crack width measurements quarterly for 12 months post-completion, documenting remediation effectiveness and providing valuable data for long-term estate management.
Results
The estate-wide crack injection successfully remediated all five properties with 100% crack stabilization documented through 12-month monitoring programs showing zero reactivation. The integrated project approach delivered $180,000 in total cost savings (45% reduction) compared to five separate remediation projects, while completing in just 8 weeks versus the projected 30+ weeks for sequential work. All five homeowners received structural engineering certification confirming restored integrity, enabling successful insurance claim closures and property value recovery. The coordinated approach simplified insurance processing, with standardized documentation accelerating claim approvals by an average of 6 weeks per property. Property values increased an average of 12% following remediation and engineer's certification, recovering initial depreciation caused by visible cracking. The comprehensive drainage improvements reduced future reactive soil movement risk by 60%, substantially protecting against crack recurrence. The estate management committee adopted the drainage system design as the standard for remaining estate phases, preventing similar issues in 40+ additional properties. This successful remediation established TRD as the preferred contractor for the Schofields development's ongoing maintenance, securing $250,000+ in follow-on remediation contracts across other estate sections experiencing minor settlement issues.
5
Addresses Consolidated
2yr
Estate Project Timeline
45%
Cost Savings vs Sequential
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