The Right Materials

Could You Need Additional Piles When Building a Home?

23 March 2023 by Frank Lynch

Building a new home can often be an exciting and rewarding process, but it's important to ensure that you do your due diligence during the planning phase. For example, if you are building a home on certain soil types, such as those with poor bearing capacity or expansive clay content, you may need to consider additional piles. When might this be necessary, and what should you consider?

What Are Piles?

Piles are a foundation system used to support structures built on weak or unstable soils. They are constructed by driving long steel beams into the ground and then connecting them together at the bottom with metal plates or concrete caps. The purpose of piles is to transfer the load from the structure to more stable soil layers that may be deeper below the surface.

Pile foundations can be used for residential and commercial buildings, but they are commonly required for homes built in areas with soil with poor bearing capacity (like clay). This type of foundation helps to spread out the weight of the building across multiple points, resulting in greater stability and less risk of settling or shifting over time.

Does Your Home Need Additional Piles?

To decide whether your home needs additional piles, you will need to consider several factors. These may include the type of soil you plan to build on and the size and weight of your structure. It's best to talk with skilled engineers, builders and piling contractors to get a definitive answer to this question.

How Are Piles Installed?

When installing piles for a new home construction project, it's important to work with experienced professionals who have experience in this type of work. Once all necessary permits have been obtained from local authorities (if applicable), the next step is typically excavating and preparing the area where the piles will be installed. Afterwards, steel beams are driven into the ground using specialised equipment until they reach either firm rock or an appropriate depth (depending on local regulations). These beams may need to be grouted before being connected together with metal plates at their base.

Your Next Step

As you can see, there may be times when additional piles are required when building a new home. If you are unsure if your project requires pile foundations, you must turn to experts for their advice. Civil engineers often work with piling contractors to formulate a plan, and this is your best course of action. Above all else, never leave things to chance, as you may encounter subsidence in the future, which could lead to additional complications.

For more information, contact a piling professional near you.

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