The most successful search term on Danbro’s Case History Page is for “access,” quickly followed by “mobilization,” because if one is at play, so is the other. Recently, a project by long-time installer, Vaspoli Builders, was driven by severely limited access affecting mobilization.
South Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, is an old section and has evolved over the years, serving waves of immigrants – German, Jewish, Irish, Italian, Southeast Asian, Latino. The economical row houses that dominate this neighborhood are old and time has taken its toll.
A party wall in one of these row homes was failing due to a ruptured sewer line and needed to be underpinned. Access to the basement was gained by tearing out a rear wall. Even then, the mini-excavator couldn’t get all the way to the front of the basement, on the street side, to finish the job. However, a handy new tool extended the reach of the drive-string assembly to the front of the basement.
South Philadelphia Partywall Stabilization | Danbro Distributors
All helical installers have faced access (and resulting mobilization) issues on jobs. The extended reach required in this basement has occurred before. In fact, it was this same installer, veteran Steve Vaspoli, who faced it before on a project at the Jersey Shore in 2024. At the time, Danbro President Frank D’Angelo reached out (pun intended) to Pro Dig and explained the problem. They created a new extended boom to reach under the porches and underpin the foundation, thereby preventing the necessity of demolishing the porches. This innovative approach saved the condominium association a lot of money in replacement porches’ cost.
Blue Water Condominium | Danbro Distributors
Blue Water Condominium Phase II | Danbro Distributors
Steve Vaspoli is one of Danbro’s oldest, most trusted, installers. He has seen a lot of changes in products, tools, and installation techniques in his twenty-five plus years working with helicals. “I started with a shear pin indicator on jobs as small as chimneys (2 piles) and ended up with the Girard Avenue apartment complex with 400+ piles,” stated Vaspolli. “I saw all of the innovations along the way from square shaft to pipe and grouted helical micropiles to transition piles.” Vaspoli continued: “Early on, I traveled as far as New York and Connecticut and Williamsport, PA as helicals were still a specialty pile and not every place had qualified installers. Soon, I was busy enough in my own backyard as helicals took off and became popular.”
However, all good things come to an end and Steve Vaspoli is retiring this year. He has sold the business to Goliath Tech and has been working with them to educate them on the ins and outs of helical technology.
Frank D’Angelo stated that “Steve was a find and a pleasure to work with all these years. He handled every challenge we sent his way. His professionalism and know-how helped to win over sometimes-skeptical professionals or GCs. He did it right but wouldn’t hesitate to ask for advice if he ran into something on a job. Great installer and an even better guy. We will miss him, but look forward to the next chapter with Goliath,” D’Angelo concluded.
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