Open-hole drilling is typically faster since it skips installing and withdrawing a casing, though duration depends on hole depth and confirmed rock conditions.
Rather than supporting a borehole with a temporary steel casing, open-hole drilling circulates grout as the drilling fluid itself. The grout's own density keeps the surrounding soil or rock from caving in and carries cuttings out of the hole as drilling advances, so there's no casing to install or later withdraw.
In Dallas County, that approach works well once a hole reaches solid Austin Chalk limestone in the western part of the county, but a hole through soft floodplain soil along the Trinity River Corridor typically still needs a cased or duplex method to keep from collapsing before the grout sets. GSI's Dallas County drilling work includes:
Open-hole drilling is typically faster since it skips installing and withdrawing a casing, though duration depends on hole depth and confirmed rock conditions.
Cost varies by location; floodplain sites requiring cased drilling generally cost more than upland sites where open-hole drilling into limestone is viable.
Yes. Our PE-licensed engineers specify the method by zone based on confirmed subsurface conditions, and every design meets IBC and Texas Building Code requirements.
We switch to a cased or duplex drilling method for that section immediately, since continuing open-hole through unstable ground risks the borehole collapsing.
No. It works where solid rock supports it, typically in the western county, but floodplain and other saturated soils require cased or duplex methods.
We confirm ground conditions with test borings specific to the site rather than assuming county-wide geology applies uniformly.
Yes, wherever an anchor extends into confirmed solid limestone, since a competent rock socket holds the hole open without a casing.
Yes. It's common for different zones of the same site, especially one spanning clay and rock, to call for different drilling methods.
Using the wrong drilling method for the ground beneath a Dallas County site risks a collapsed borehole and a stalled project. Call (855) 599-5217 to get a drilling assessment from a licensed engineer.
