As self-building becomes more popular in the UK, people are looking for simpler ways to build and techniques that will let them reduce spend and even build on more difficult sites. The cost of a site can vary depending on a variety of factors, and if it seen as more troublesome due to a significant slope (for example), it could mean that self-builders can buy more land or live in a more desirable location without exceeding their budget.
Commercial techniques are increasingly finding their way into domestic construction, especially when builders are willing to work outside the box to find solutions. This is where helical piles have become a savior for many self-builders who would otherwise have to spend considerable amounts digging out deeper foundations or wouldn’t be able to get out of the ground at all without significant additional borrowing.
Tricky building plots include:
- Sloping sides
- Numerous trees, or trees that builders would like to maintain in close proximity to the house
- Made up ground on brownfield land
- Unstable ground
- Large amounts of clay in the soil
Since the government is working to make more brownfield land available to self-builders, even more will need to look at alternatives to standard concrete foundations.
In many instances digging down deeper is a viable option, but this has larger costs associated with it:
- You will need to spend more time digging
- You will need to spend more to dump the soil
- You will need to pay for more concrete
- You will need to spend longer waiting for the concrete to set
All of which can eat into budget reserves before the house is even begun.
Screw piles are an elegant solution to many of these problems. While some soil will still need to be dug out – especially on sloping sites that will need a level base for building work to begin – most of the piles can be installed with soil displacement. This means that you reduce the cost of all of the items listed above, and spend no time at all waiting for the foundations to set – they can be built upon on the very same day.
Choosing screw pile foundations means that self-builders can reduce the amount of time it takes to install their foundations from weeks to just a few days.