The Eight Best Applications for Helical Screw Piles
Helical screw piles are incredibly versatile and can be found in commercial, residential, and agricultural settings. They have a long history that has allowed them to remain useful for centuries.
Helical screw piles are steel poles with helices on one end and are screwed into the ground using hydraulic machinery with a drive head to apply torque. They are easy to install, which is the driving force behind their growing popularity. They can also be installed year-round without the same complications as conventional foundations.
These reasons, among others, are why helical screw piles have become so widespread. With all these applications, it can be hard to tell which ones are the best use of helical screw piles. However, there are definitely situations where they excel.
New Construction in Poor Soil
The best application of helical screw piles is constructing new buildings in areas where the soil isn’t amenable to other types of foundations. Because they can easily pass through almost any soil type, helical screw piles aren’t impacted by soft or wet soil. Installation can happen almost anywhere.
Even in areas with incredibly soft or wet soil, you can take steps to allow helical screw piles to be installed. Once installed, they won’t sink into the soil like other foundations. This allows them to support buildings for several years without settling or other foundational issues. Likewise, new construction will last much longer on poor-quality soil with a helical screw pile foundation.
Decks and Porches
Decks and porches are another great application for helical screw piles. For additions to existing homes, using helical screw piles allows these structures to be built without disturbing the rest of the house or destroying the landscape. They also need much less effort to install than concrete piles without compromising support and stability.
They can also support large decks while providing consistent support throughout the structure. This means that you won’t have awkward angles or sections that sit lower than the rest of the deck when it’s built, and sagging will be lessened over time if there is proper support from the beginning.
Tiny Homes
Tiny homes tend to have small square footage and are often built in smaller areas. Conventional foundations may not be very practical in these settings since they often require a lot of space to be laid. Some tiny homes also emphasize minimizing their impact on the natural environment around them.
Helical screw piles serve a dual purpose in these cases since they are perfect for areas with limited space to work and don’t leave much trace other than the piles themselves.
Sheds and Garages
Small, simple structures such as sheds and garages can often be built quickly and without much fuss. A foundation with equally simple installation, such as helical screw piles, can keep the foundation from being the most time-consuming portion of construction.
Since these structures also aren’t always intended to be permanent, the ability of helical screw piles to act as an anchor is a very important function. Considering this is thought to be one of the original purposes of this design, this is another scenario where helical screw piles excel.
Minimally Invasive Projects
Helical screw piles don’t require any excavation or advanced preparation. The piles are also designed to avoid augering soil up as they are driven into the ground, minimizing their impact on the overall landscape and environment. The noise and vibration from the installation are also much lower than some other foundation types, creating fewer disturbances to sensitive areas nearby.
The machinery needed for helical screw pile installation is also much smaller and lighter than that required for some other foundations. This minimizes damage to lawns, gardens, and sensitive ecosystems such as marshes.
Fast-Paced Construction
With the advent of more effective machinery and installation methods, helical screw piles have become one of the quickest types of foundation to install. The fact that virtually no clean-up is required and the piles can be loaded almost immediately after installation speeds construction up even more. Adjustments can also be made rapidly during installation to ensure that the piles can adequately support the weight of the finished building.
While it’s not often that you can decide to switch the type of foundation in the middle of construction, emergency projects and buildings that are intended to be built on tight deadlines can start with a helical screw pile. This allows more time for other parts of the project and can provide breathing room in case there are setbacks or delays.
Restricted Space
Because the machinery used for installing helical screw piles is much smaller than that required by conventional foundations, they can be installed in much smaller areas. In addition, many of the excavators used to drive the piles into the ground are small enough to fit through fence gates, and some construction projects can use even smaller equipment, such as modified skid steers.
Without excavation, you also don’t need as much space for piling the dirt until it can be disposed of. You also need less space for concrete trucks or other supplies needed by other foundation types.
Remote Areas
Similar to restricted space, smaller machinery needed for helical screw pile installation makes working in remote areas much easier.
Large machinery may be unable to manage going over rough terrain to get to some of these remote areas, and it may not be practical to transport it on a trailer for similar reasons. You also have to transport minimal supplies onto the construction site; the machinery and any extra piles are all you will need to transport it back out.
No matter how you use helical screw piles, you want to use a reputable installation company, such as GoliathTech, to ensure you have a sturdy, long-lasting foundation. A good company can tell you whether or not your construction plan is suitable for helical screw piles and will create a custom solution and a detailed estimate for your project.