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Commercial & Industrial Underpinning Melbourne

Foundation issues in a commercial or industrial facility are a whole separate issue unrelated to merely the physical building or the structure that it sits on. Your product and your business operations are at stake along with your equipment, your employees and ultimately your company’s profitability. Machinery will be misaligned if there is a sinking floor in a warehouse. A cracked wall will create issues regarding employee safety in an office building. And a loading dock will present ongoing hazards until replaced/repaired.
At Harman Contracting, we recognize that as a commercial client, you have a lot more to lose and a lot less time to lose than someone in a residential environment. For years we have provided commercial and industrial clients in Melbourne with foundation and underpinning solutions and we have built a reputation as professionals who provide quality results without putting your business on hold while we complete our work.

Commercial & Industrial Foundation Problems We Fix

Reactive soils in Melbourne will play havoc with both your industrial and commercial properties. The cumulative constant weight from large structures, heavy machinery, high volumes of foot traffic as well as heavy commercial operations creates immense pressure on the ground beneath. Given enough time even the most robustly constructed commercial foundations are at risk of shifting, settling and in many cases, ultimately failing. The most common types of issues we see regarding commercial/industrial properties include:

The most common types of issues we see regarding commercial/industrial properties include:

  • Sinking or uneven concrete floors — usually found within warehouses, factories, and manufacturing facilities that have heavy machinery either stationed or frequently moving on top of them;
  • Cracking to both internal and external walls — indicative of a building with a moving foundation and a structure that is both reacting to that movement;
  • Load docks that have also sunk or shifted — creating trip hazards and potentially causing damage to vehicles and negatively impacting efficient operation;
  • Areas used for parking or hardstand surfaces that may have subsided at the edges — creating uneven surfaces with the possibility of creating safety issues and drainage problems;
  • Erosion and instability of embankments surrounding your property and sites — predominantly found in larger industrial sites where ground movement has created erosion or modified existing soil movements which have influenced the stability of the surrounding ground;
  • Settling of columns and piers — indicative of the points on which a building bears its weight moving, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the building as a whole.

Our Approach to Commercial Underpinning

The approach we take for every commercial and industrial underpinning job is very different to that of a residential underpinning project since the scale, access requirements and potential consequences if an underpinning project goes wrong are much larger. Here’s the way we approach each commercial/industrial underpinning job:

Assess and Inspect the Job Site

The job begins the same way we start every project: with an assessment and inspection of the job site. We will determine the extent of the damage, find out why the foundation has moved, and assess the condition of the job site (soil type, load requirements, access issues, etc.), as well as any previous structural engineering documents at the job site.

Create Engineering Design

Structural engineering support will be required for nearly all commercial and/or industrial projects. We will work closely with the structural engineer to come up with a repair plan specifically for your building, your soil conditions and your load requirements. If necessary, we can also carry out a soil test.

Develop Delivery Plan

Prior to starting any work, we will develop a delivery plan based on your operational needs. This will include what area(s) will be taken offline, the order in which it will take place, and the length of time work will be required. This way, you are able to make plans for your business around our project, rather than being surprised by the interruption. Limiting the duration of your downtime is our number one priority when performing work on commercial jobs.

Underpinning & Foundation Repairs

We do the underpinning and foundation repair using a method appropriate to your site and type of foundation problem. Underpinning methods can include, but are not limited to, screw piling, conventional pier underpinning, micropiling and bored piers. We will use any or all of the appropriate methods when necessary for your project.

Certification of Works Completed

All of our commercial underpinning projects receive engineering certification upon completion of the works. You will receive a certificate that documents the work has been completed to the required standard. This is necessary for insurance purposes, compliance and future property transactions.

Industries & Property Types We Work With

Our commercial and industrial underpinning experience spans a wide range of sectors and property types across Melbourne and greater Victoria:

  • Warehouses and distribution centres
  • Factories and manufacturing facilities
  • Commercial office buildings
  • Retail centres and shopfronts
  • Loading docks and logistics facilities
  • Car parks and hardstand areas
  • Industrial sheds and storage facilities
  • Infrastructure and civil projects
  • Schools, aged care facilities, and community buildings
  • Mixed-use commercial and residential developments

If your property type isn’t listed here, give us a call anyway. The chances are we’ve worked on something similar before.

Minimising Downtime on Commercial Sites

Shutting down an industrial or commercial operation, even partly, incurs costs. As a result, we approach all our projects with business continuity in mind. Whenever possible, during our construction process, we stage our work so there is only one area of the structure or facility being worked on and thus unaffected for continued operations in all other areas of the facility.

Our team has processes and systems in place to work productively through projects, meaning we communicate openly and clearly with our clients, and will not purposefully push long job timelines. When we say a proposed area will be back up by a specific date, we will do everything we can to ensure this return date is met by our crew completing the work to allow you to continue to do business.

Sinking & Uneven Floors in Warehouses & Industrial Facilities

One of the most prevalent problems we get called to resolve is concrete floor settlement on industrial and commercial properties. The cumulative damage done by heavy machinery, racking systems, forklifts, and continuous load bearing on industrial floors will cause these floors to settle and become uneven over time. Once a floor begins to settle, problems escalate quickly.

An uneven concrete floor in a warehouse impacts the functionality of the entire building, not just appearance. As an example, it creates hazards for forklift operators because loads are no longer sitting square to the ground. Additionally, it creates improper functioning of machinery and causes everything that is sitting on or moving across the floor to fail at a more accelerated rate than would normally be expected. If left long enough, an uneven concrete floor can create a significant amount of equipment damage and a potentially harmful incident for someone working in that environment.

To start, we will investigate the cause of the settlement—soil movement under the slab, construction was not done properly, or a more specific structural issue—and we will provide the appropriate repair to return the floor to an even condition and prevent any additional settlement.

Loading Dock & Car Park Underpinning

The various factors affecting loading dock and car park surfaces includes but are not limited to heavy traffic; constant activity; exposure to the elements. All of these elements contribute to the deterioration of loading dock and car park surfaces; and when the surfaces move or settle, there are numerous real-world problems that could arise; such as damage to vehicles; driver difficulties; staff safety issues; regulatory compliance issues; etc.

Harman Contracting has considerable experience stabilizing and releveling loading docks, ramps, and hardstand areas for industrial and commercial customers throughout the Melbourne area. Our work starts with an evaluation to determine and rectify the cause of surface movement (i.e., repair or stabilize the subsurface), and then we will, therefore, return the loading dock or car park surface to a safe & functional condition.

Why Melbourne Businesses Choose Harman Contracting

  • Decades of commercial experience — we’ve worked on everything from small retail tenancies to large industrial facilities.
  • Minimal disruption — we plan projects around your operations, not the other way around.
  • Engineering certified — every commercial job is backed by proper documentation.
  • Fully insured — registered builders with full public liability coverage.
  • Honest, transparent quoting — you’ll know exactly what the work involves and what it costs before we start.
  • Family-run business — you deal directly with the people responsible for the work, not a project manager three layers removed.
  • Specialist equipment — including purpose-built plant for limited access and tight-site work.

Frequently Asked Questions — Commercial & Industrial Underpinning Melbourne

The warning signs are similar to residential properties but often more pronounced due to the scale of the building and the loads involved. Look for cracking in internal or external walls, uneven or sinking concrete floors, doors or roller doors that no longer sit properly in their frames, visible settlement around column bases, or any noticeable change in the level of the floor. If you’re unsure, an inspection will give you a clear answer.
Not necessarily — and certainly not entirely in most cases. We stage our work to keep disruption as low as possible. Depending on the size and layout of your facility, it’s often possible to keep most of your operation running while we work through the affected sections in sequence. We’ll discuss this in detail before work begins so you can plan accordingly.
Yes, always. Engineering certification is standard on every commercial and industrial underpinning project we complete. This documentation is important for insurance purposes, compliance requirements, and any future sale or lease of the property.
It depends on the scale of the project. A targeted repair to a specific section of a building might take a few days. A larger, staged underpinning project across a significant industrial facility could take several weeks. We’ll provide a realistic timeframe alongside your quote after the site inspection.

We do our best to accommodate the operational requirements of each client. If your business runs during standard hours and you need work carried out outside those times, talk to us — we’ll see what we can arrange.

📞 Call us: 03 9728 3758
🕗 Hours: Monday – Friday | 8:00am – 5:00pm

📧 Email: david@harmancontracting.com.au — Underpinning quotes, sales & job bookings

📧 Email: anthony@harmancontracting.com.au — Screw piling & bored pier enquiries