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Ram Jack SoCal Installs (7) Helical Piles to Lift & Stabilize a Gate Vault that Settled 5” in Pacific Palisades, CA
Problem
Ram Jack SoCal was contacted by a general contractor constructing a high-end, owner-occupied custom residence in the Huntington Palisades neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, California. As part of the project, the contractor was installing a custom driveway gate system designed to retract vertically into a precast concrete vault. The vault, measuring approximately 27 feet long, 12 feet high, and 4 feet deep, housed both the steel gate posts and the motorized control components and weighed approximately 35,000 pounds.
After the vault was craned into the excavation, the contractor discovered that within 24 hours it had settled roughly five inches and tilted forward an additional three inches. Over the following days, multiple attempts were made to correct the issue by adding gravel and adjusting surrounding soils, but these efforts produced no improvement. Complicating the situation further, the surrounding site had already been graded to final elevations in preparation for pavers and hardscape installation, leaving little tolerance for additional settlement or elevation changes. With the gate system unable to function properly and construction timelines at risk, a permanent structural solution was required.
Proposed Solution
Ram Jack evaluated the site conditions and designed a remedial underpinning solution to recover, support, and re-level the gate vault. The plan called for the installation of seven Ram Jack helical piles beneath the vault, driven to an average depth of 20 feet to achieve competent bearing soils. Specialized brackets were installed to securely transfer the vault’s load to the pile system, allowing for controlled lifting and precise elevation adjustments.
The installation sequence was carefully coordinated to account for the already established site grades and to minimize disturbance to adjacent construction. Using a multi-lift approach, the Ram Jack SoCal crew methodically corrected both the vertical settlement and forward tilt of the vault while continuously verifying elevations throughout the process.
Outcome
The gate vault was successfully recovered approximately five inches and returned to its intended alignment, restoring proper function of the custom gate system. The solution provided complete recovery of the structure without requiring re-excavation or disruption of surrounding site work. The general contractor was impressed with the efficiency and precision of the installation and elected to have their own crew perform the backfill and compaction following completion.
The project allowed construction to proceed as planned and demonstrated Ram Jack’s ability to solve complex, load-sensitive challenges beyond traditional foundation applications. The completed installation delivered a stable, reliable support system for the vault while preserving the architectural and functional intent of the custom gate design.
Fall 2025
