Commercial
Drilling Services in Honolulu
- Commercial Drilling
Deep Foundation Drilling for Hawaii's Toughest Sites
With a variety of limited-access drill rigs in our fleet, Kelikai Corporation a sister company of Structural Systems can take on those low-overhead or “way in the corner” installations that are not accessible by larger rigs. We also operate a number of full-size rigs with the muscle to take on tough drilling through Hawaii’s rock, and installations to 100 feet deep or more. No matter what type of drilling solution your project needs, we can provide it.
Deep foundation systems — including micropiles, anchors, and tiebacks — are proven solutions to the problems presented by unstable or unsuitable soil conditions. Our crews have installed a full range of small-diameter drilled systems on all the major Hawaiian islands, with the exception of Lāna’i. These systems include soil nails, permeation and consolidation grouting, as well as drilling probes and grouting voids for new developments.
Our work has taken us to the tops of Hawaii’s mountainous ridges, and into the depths of below-grade — below sea level — excavations. Between that range sit the everyday realities of drilling in Hawaii: tight urban lots in Honolulu, occupied buildings that must stay open while we work, steep hillside sites on the Windward side, and subsurface conditions that can change from soft fill to solid basalt within a single property line.
Building on Land Others Call Unbuildable
Where existing as-built construction or site conditions limit access for larger foundation construction equipment, our fleet of limited-access rigs can install a full range of drilled systems in a wide variety of subsurface conditions. Our drilled systems have been installed and tested to loads as great as 300 kips — 150 tons.
Hawaii’s architectural and engineering community uses these capabilities to allow development of lands previously considered “unsuitable” due to inaccessibility or difficult soil conditions. A hillside lot with no equipment access, a courtyard surrounded on four sides by existing structures, a low-clearance parking level — these are the sites where our limited-access systems make construction possible. Our systems have been key to the design and construction of several commercial and residential developments on Oahu and the Neighbor Islands.
Commercial Drilling Services
- Design/Build Projects
- Load Transfer
- New Construction
- Remedial Underpinning
- Slope Stabilization
- Foundation Re-leveling
- Compaction Grouting
- Shoring Systems
- Auger Cast Piles
- Drilled Shaft Piles
- Sea Wall Repair
Capabilities & Benefits: Drilling Systems
- Limited-access and low-overhead equipment
- FHWA compliant
- High bearing and tension capacities—up to 150 tons on drilled systems
- Cased or un-cased systems
- Hollow-bar injection anchors and piles
- Atlas® and Chance® helical piers
- Soil nails
The Most Extensive Limited-Access Fleet in Hawaii
We maintain a robust and diversified equipment fleet to handle drilling jobs of all types and sizes. Our equipment includes “standard” full-size rigs along with the most extensive selection of limited-access, low-overhead drill rigs in the State of Hawaii — the right rig for every drilling situation and location.
Combining that fleet with our range of experience, our crews are capable of installing everything from small 4½” diameter micropiles and anchors to larger 7″ to 9.625″ diameter systems, at depths exceeding 100 feet. It is this combination of state-of-the-art equipment and decades of local experience that gives our staff and field crews the capability to address the many construction requirements and varied geotechnical conditions unique to Hawaii.
Micropiles: Engineered to Federal Standards
As defined in FHWA-RD-96-016, “Micro-piles are small diameter drilled and grouted reinforced piles used for both structural support and insitu earth reinforcement.” Typically less than 10″ in diameter, micropiles carry allowable design capacities that frequently exceed 100 kips — and our crews have performed micropile testing in excess of 225 kips, over 100 tons.
Micropiles are frequently the answer where a deep foundation system is required in difficult substrata conditions, or where driven piles or large-diameter systems are impractical due to subsurface obstructions, or the limitations presented by existing buildings at or adjacent to the project site. In Hawaii, that describes a large share of the work: coral and basalt layers that stop driven piles, historic structures that cannot tolerate vibration, and additions built tight against existing foundations.
The FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) NHI-05-039 “Micro-Pile Design and Construction” — developed from FHWA SA-97-020 — is the most authoritative publication in the micropile industry. It is invariably cited in project specifications, and it governs the vast majority of the micropiling work we perform. The PTI (Post-Tensioning Institute) DC35.1-04 “Prestressed Rock and Soil Anchors” is similarly authoritative, and governs the majority of our anchor installations. Our crews are well-versed in both publications and are experienced in meeting or exceeding the requirements of these authorities. Where applicable, we test our installations in accordance with standards published by ASTM.
Certified Installers, Union Crews, Local Experience
As certified installers of Chance Civil Construction products, we can combine the Atlas® and Chance® lines of pre-engineered foundation products with our drilled systems to address a broad range of applications — helical piers torqued into bearing material where site conditions favor them, drilled and grouted systems where they don’t, and hybrid approaches engineered per site.
The crews at Structural Systems — and at our unionized subsidiary, Kelikai, which specializes in deep foundation systems including augercast piles, drilled shafts, and micropiles — have compiled decades of experience installing deep foundation systems across Hawaii. This experience includes a comprehensive range of piling systems for bearing support and anchor systems for tension applications, on projects spanning schools, universities, bridges, high-rise developments, and private estates.
Deep Foundation Projects Across Hawaii
Our drilling and deep foundation work stands under some of Hawaii’s best-known addresses:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is limited-access drilling, and when is it needed?
Limited-access drilling uses compact, low-overhead rigs to install deep foundation systems where standard equipment cannot operate — inside or beside existing buildings, under low structures, on steep or confined Hawaii lots. Structural Systems operates the most extensive limited-access rig fleet in the state.
How deep can commercial drilling systems be installed?
Our crews routinely install drilled systems to depths exceeding 100 feet, in diameters from 4½” micropiles up to 9.625″ systems, through soils and Hawaii rock alike.
What loads can micropiles and drilled systems carry?
Our drilled systems have been installed and tested to loads as great as 300 kips (150 tons). Micropile design capacities frequently exceed 100 kips, and our crews have performed micropile testing in excess of 225 kips — over 100 tons.
What standards govern the work?
Micropile work is governed by FHWA NHI-05-039; anchor installations follow PTI DC35.1-04; testing is performed to ASTM standards where applicable. Our systems are FHWA compliant.
Can deep foundations be installed next to an existing building?
Yes — that is precisely what micropiles and limited-access rigs are for. Small-diameter drilled systems install with minimal vibration and small equipment footprints, making them the standard solution beside or beneath existing structures.
Get a Free Assessment
From Oahu to Maui, Kauai, and Hawai’i Island, our estimators can evaluate your site and recommend the right drilling solution — design/build support included.