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Project: Curran-Pinnell House

Location: “The Strand” in Historic New Castle, Delaware

Installer: Breslin Contracting, Inc.

Customers: Kathleen Curran and Patrick Pinnell

Pile Design: Earth Anchoring Suppliers

A new home in historic New Castle, Delaware, on “The Strand” (a highy desirable street), was designed by its architect and architectural historian owner couple for a lot with a 1.5 mile view across the Delaware River estuary. Plans originally called for standard concrete footers, but excavation unexpectedly revealed debris and bad soils. The structural engineer recommended changing to a system of concrete grade beams supported by helical piles. With no previous information available, Breslin Contracting was brought in to do several test probe piles.

The data collected went to Earth Anchoring Suppliers for recommendations. A total of (55)  .2875”round shaft piles with 10”/12”/14” leads and 14” trailers were installed with embeds ranging form 17’ to 38’ and installation torques of 4500 to 6300 ft. lbs. After approval by the strict New Castle Historic Area Commission, actual installation took eight days, hindered by limited space on the 40' wide lot. But according to Patrick Pinnell FAIA, the owner / architect, "Breslin's expert three person team (one was female) coordinated perfectly with our general contractor's workers on trenching, earthmoving, and the intricate dance of equipment positioning and repositioning. It worked!"


Breslin Contracting Installed (55) Helical Piles for a New House Foundation on “The Strand” in New Castle, Delaware

Winter, 2024-25

Breslin Contracting, Inc.

18 King Court

New Castle, DE 19720

Phone: 302-322-0320

Fax: 302-322-8907

www.breslincorp.com