Historic Bed and Breakfast Lifted and Stabilized in Maryland

Problem

The Wades Point Inn, built in 1820 by Baltimore shipbuilder
Thomas Kemp, is today a bed & breakfast located on Tilghman
Island just outside of St. Michaels, Maryland. The current owner
was seriously concerned because the house was sinking, with
the rear of the house settling dramatically due to poor sandy
soils and the inevitable ravages of time. The historic home’s
foundation consisted of brick and concrete block piers. The
owner reported that other contractors and engineering firms
looked at the project but would not even entertain the idea of
a fix, due to the age of the home and the severity of the problem.
Looking for a contractor with experience and vision, the owner
visited the Ocean City Expo and made contact with URETEK.

Analysis

URETEK arrived on site and inspected the building. A soil
analysis confirmed the presence of poor sandy soils, and the
foundation piers beneath the house were clearly settled.
URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI) was proposed for the site to
stabilize the soils beneath the piers and, where required, to lift
the building’s foundation. The owner was very concerned that
the project might disrupt the normal flow of business at Wades
Point Inn, and worried also that any required excavation might
ruin the surrounding landscaping. URETEK decided to take on
the challenge and created an injection plan that would return
the historic home to its former glory.

Solution

URETEK crew members began work on the project, conducting
UDI underneath all the building’s piers at two depths, all while
working in a crawl space with only 36 inches of clearance.
Using laser levels and monitors inside the building, URETEK was
able to safely stabilize the foundation and lift the structure
without any damage. In just three working days, the project
was complete.

Result

As URETEK crews departed the project site, the Wades Point
Inn was beginning a new chapter in its long life atop a safe,
secure, and stable foundation. The owner of the bed &
breakfast was able to continue operations during the project
without any downtime or loss of revenue. With no excavation
required to conduct UDI, the beautiful landscaping at the inn
remained pristine. For the owner, one fateful call to URETEK
was the difference between a project that couldn’t be done
and the happiest of endings for Wades Point Inn.

URETEK Deep Injection® (UDI)

Widely referenced throughout our industry, UDI involves the
injection of structural polymer into base and subgrade soils
to increase the load bearing capacity. This is achieved by
injecting the polymer through small holes drilled directly
through the pavement structure to depths determined by
site-specific analysis. Our URETEK 486 Star® material flows
easily into voids and weak zones within the soil mass below.
Through a controlled chemical reaction, the expanding polymer
compacts surrounding soils and applies controlled pressure
on targeted areas of the affected pavement above. If needed,
a multi-injection design plan is utilized to gently return the
pavement to its original grade. The composite material quickly
cures into a strong, dimensionally stable, and water-resistant
geo-material, providing years of reliable service.

URETEK 486 Star®

URETEK 486 Star® polymer is a two-component, high-density,
expanding thermoset polyurethane system. It was developed
to be the ideal solution for under-sealing, void filling, lifting of
settled pavement, stabilization and stiffening of weak soils,
and for encapsulating and sealing buried infrastructure.
URETEK 486 Star® is environmentally inert, non-toxic, and
resists underground water erosion or weakening due to its
industry-leading hydrophobic properties.