Screw Pile Foundations

Screw Pile Foundations

Screw Pile Foundations

Before investing in a garden building, it is important to ensure you have selected the most suitable Garden Room Foundation.

Foundations are crucial to the durability, longevity and stability of a build, and despite being around since the 1800s, screw piles are recently becoming an increasingly popular choice for many, due to their environmental benefits and versatility.

This article will explore the use of screw piles/ground screws as your base type; including screw pile reqirements for our SIP buildings, how it will affect our SIPs Kits, as well as the pros and cons of screw pile foundations.

Installing Your Screw Piles

We always recommend your screw piles to be flatheads (preferably 100mm) and positioned 50mm above ground level. This is to prevent any water from getting underneath your SIPs studio, thus reducing the risk of rotting overtime.

Should you choose to use screw piles as your foundation, we would produce a pin detail specifically for your studio footprint size, which will show the amounts and locations of screws required.

Our SIPs Kits

When supplying our bespoke SIPs Kits, we will always confirm what foundation type you will be using prior to engineering and manufacturing your studio. This will then determine how we supply your SIPs floor.

If you are using a form of pile base, we will supply a timber subframe as part of the SIPs kit. It is important to use the correct number of screws and position them as per our pin detail, as this timber subframe will be produced to sit directly onto your screws.

The SIPs floor panels will then come fitted with a membrane and are made to sit inside your timber subframe, so they can slot easily into place.

Pros of Screw Pile Foundations

✔ Quick and Efficient – Unlike a solid concrete slab foundation, which requires a lot of time for preparation work, pouring and curing, screw piles can be installed immediately and require no wait time at all. They can also be installed in any weather conditions, so they are suitable for all year round installation.

✔ Versatile – Screw piles offer the perfect solution if you are looking to install a garden room in a difficult location. For example, on a slope or uneven ground, in a conservation area, near tree roots, or in other difficult areas. They are also very versatile and can be used on a wide range of soil types.

✔ Environmentally Friendly – Where a concrete slab requires a lot of digging and preparation, screw piles on the other hand make minimal impact to the ground and surrounding ecosystems, making them extremely environmentally friendly. Not only this, but they are fully recyclable and reusable, and do not leave behind any permanent damage, should they ever need to be removed.

Cons of Screw Pile Foundations

✗ Limited by Grain Size – Soil types that contain hard soil or large rocks can make it more difficult to install screw piles.

✗ Height Limitations – At SimplySIPs, we mainly supply garden studios which fall under permitted development, meaning our customers often have a height limit of 2.5m. We always advise customer’s base types to be a minimum of 50mm above ground level, however if your screw piles sit a lot higher than this, it will then eat into the overall height of your garden room, if you need to remain within the 2.5m height limit.

✗ Torque Sensitivity – Screw piles all have a torque limit, and if exceeded, it can compromise the strutural integrity of the screw pile. Installation therefore requires precise torque control, which often means specialised equipment or trained professionals are needed for installation.

We do not supply foundations, however two companies which our customers often use and recommend are Fast Foundations and The Great British Ground Screw, so feel free to check out their websites!

Please contact us if you have any queries regarding base types.

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