Pier repositioning

AlphaDelta

Hi,

I have an old 6 foot mass concrete pier with a very nice cap and I wish to move the complete pier in order to widen the gate. It was built 50 years ago and the current foundation is only slightly under the ground.

How do I re-position the pier on a new foundation in a secure manner such that the weight
of the gate will not pull it down ?


Thanks

Drift

Would you not take the cap off the existing pier and put it on a new one built in the new location?

Is there something preventing the cap you like being removed from the mass concrete lump underneath? Is it part of the mass concrete pour?

AlphaDelta

It does not look like a cap that was built and placed upon the pier, it looks like it was poured and shaped on top of the pier.

If I could easily cut it off this would be the simplest solution, the pier is about 24 inches square, could I rent a saw
that could cut this off ?

If I cut it off I have to build a complete new pier, I was wondering if the existing pier could be securely mounted on a
new foundation and how one could approach such a task.

Drift

The existing pier weighs a tonne and a half. You'd need some heavy machinery to lift it and that's not even taking into account how you would release it from it's current foundation.

To then fix it securely to a new foundation would not be simple. You'd have two options:

1. Some sort of pocket to drop it into but then it would be shorter than it was before and the new foundation would probably overlap with the existing pier position resulting in a double move of the pier.

2. Starter bars from a new foundation projecting into holes drilled in the bottom of the old pier which would then have to be filled via some sort of grout tube set up. This means a lot of drilling into old concrete and a lot of precision!


From what you've described a new pier sounds a lot easier!!! What type of cap is it? A good carpenter might be able to make a template from it to pour a copy.

Drift

P.S. If you decide to lift it be careful with 50 year old mass concrete. It was probably poorly vibrated so it could break apart and fall on any nearby arms or legs.

Any chance you have a picture? Can't give structural advice here but maybe if people here could see the cap they might know if it can be replicated.

AlphaDelta

how do i attach a photo