Home extensions can be tricky. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a single-storey kitchen or a double-height extension; you need to get your foundations right. But you need to do that without disturbing the foundations of the existing structure, and damaging fences or impacting your neighbours isn’t always easy. Especially if the ground conditions are less than ideal. Screw piles (AKA helical piles) often provide the answer.
How Screw Piles Can Help You Overcome Home Extension Challenges
Poor ground conditions
One of the most common challenges in home extensions is weak or unstable soil. Clay, peat, and made-up ground are all notoriously difficult to build on. Traditional concrete foundations often require extensive excavation and soil removal, which can be both time-consuming and expensive. This normally means delays, increased costs, and annoying disruption. With screw piles, you can avoid most of that. Because they screw directly into the ground, there’s no need for excavation. And yet, if you choose the right screw piles for your project and install them properly, they can withstand significant loads.
Limited access
Most urban properties come with little space, so getting large vehicles on to site can be difficult, if not impossible. Compact ground vehicles and tools can be used to install screw piles, and where necessary, manual installation is possible. So, you have no access issues, minimal disruption for your neighbours, minimal damage to your garden, and very little mess to clear up afterwards.
Installation speed
One of the greatest advantages of using screw piles is how quickly they can be installed. Unlike concrete foundations, which are weather-dependent and can take several days to cure, helical piles are ready to build on immediately after installation, which can save a lot of time. As a rough guide, a typical home extension can have all its screw piles installed in a single day.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a growing concern for homeowners, and screw piles can help with this too. They can be more environmentally friendly than traditional methods, producing minimal soil displacement and no need for wet concrete. There’s also far less waste and mess on site. And if the extension is ever removed or redesigned, the piles can even be unscrewed and reused.
Cost-effectiveness
Although the upfront material costs of screw piles are often higher than you might find with traditional concrete foundations, they can be more cost-effective when you look at the wider picture. Screw piles can reduce the need for heavy excavation equipment while reducing labour and installation time, which can result in good overall savings. You should also consider the cost reduction connected with the speed of installation. One day or two to install screw-piles vs a week or two for traditional footings is a significant reduction in time and time is money.
Performance
All helical piles should be load-tested during installation. If you choose the right ones for your project, and you follow the installation guidelines properly, you can be confident of structural integrity. And at UKHelix we have a factory warranty for up to 100 years, depending on the screw pile type chosen.
Screw piles are becoming increasingly popular for home extensions because they’re easy. You’re not going to damage your existing foundations or your neighbour’s fence with screw pile installation. You’re not going to have to wait for endless days for your concrete to cure, and you certainly won’t have to excavate excessively – and dispose of your excavations – before construction can begin. Screw piles are quick and clean while delivering durability. And that’s why so many people are now turning to them when looking to extend their home.
Contact UK Helix today to find out more about our screw pile supply, design, and installation services.