Without a foundation, it is impossible to imagine a single house, not a single more or less serious building on a suburban area. The only problem is that the cost of a good foundation is very high, so there is always a temptation to find some cheaper, but high-quality option.
One of them is the pile foundation. Reviews indicate that its characteristics are quite sufficient for an average country cottage, not to mention baths and other outbuildings. Today we will consider not only customer reviews, but also the reasons that cause them. The latter is very important, since practical justification is extremely important for choosing the right foundation for a house.
Why are pile foundations so popular?
In recent years, an increasing number of developers have chosen such a basis for a house. Why is this happening, how is this technology superior to the already time-tested and completely reliable options?
- First of all, this is the speed of work. Where else can you findfoundation that can be done in just one day?
- Secondly, cheapness. Given the fact that the cost of cement is constantly growing, the price of a conventional strip foundation is sky-high.
- In addition, a similar foundation of the house can be laid on unstable soils, as well as in permafrost conditions.
- If the laying technology was done correctly, the foundation will not sag, and the house will stand securely in any conditions.
Customer reviews indicate that in just a couple of weeks they built a full-fledged panel house using pile technology. Other builders note that the low cost of piles allowed them to meet a modest budget, building a very decent house. By the way, a pile-screw foundation, the price of which is about 13-14 thousand rubles, is available to almost every potential homeowner.
The cost of one pile (diameter 76 mm) is about 1200 rubles. About a dozen piles go to one average house.
Technology highlights
By the way, how is this type of foundation laid? As the name implies, it is based on screw piles. They are made of metal, and at the end of each structural element there is a blade (like an ice drill), designed to dig it into the ground. From this moment, numerous disputes begin.
Someone believes that the structure should be buried exclusively with the help of heavy equipment, someone insists that the manual force of a team of workers is quite suitable for such purposes,who will install the pile foundation. A drawing of it can often be provided by the same company where you hire specialists. It turns out much cheaper, and in the process of calculations you can make your constructive suggestions.
Negative sides
Here you should make a digression, talking about the weaknesses of this technology. If buyers do not know them in advance, then the percentage of disappointed people may increase.
- If the soils are dense (we will talk about this below), then the pile-screw foundation cannot be laid on them. The fact is that when you try to screw piles into them, the protective coating is likely to be damaged, which is fraught with rapid corrosion. Of course, you can use special equipment, but this will significantly increase the cost of the work.
- Besides, if the piles are poorly protected from corrosion processes, then it is better not to expect anything good.
- Twisted piles can no longer be checked for defects.
In addition, in a country house, which is installed on such a foundation, it is impossible to make a basement. Not only does this make it impossible to save homemade items, but it can also make being in the house unpleasant in the winter, as the floors will be cold.
Many people are dissatisfied with their choice of foundation only because the managers of construction companies simply withhold this information. Remember, enthusiastic odes to pile foundations are most often sung by those companies that care exclusively about profit. If the company is serious, then its specialists in anycase should warn potential buyers of possible problems and obvious shortcomings of the technology.
And more. The service life of houses on a pile foundation rarely exceeds 100-120 years, so you won’t be able to build a “family nest”. This circumstance should also be kept in mind. However, the pile-screw foundation, the price of which is very low, is rarely used for the construction of such monumental houses. As a rule, small country cottages are built on them, intended for the summer residence of a family of two or three people.
However, there are exceptions when a very impressive house is placed on piles. It is quite possible, but you will have to use the most durable materials.
To dig or not to dig?
It is very common to read negative reviews from those people who hired workers to manually bury piles. They say that the base of the foundation "walks" within 40-50 cm! What's the matter? What is the official technology?
Note that she quite favors both methods. But! It is very important to keep in mind that when manually digging in, some rules must be strictly observed, which in most cases are safely ignored. So, in all the instructions it is said that the piles must be screwed in from scratch, without any additional holes. In reality, it is necessary to straighten the area a little, to ensure the correct direction of driving. To do this, you must first dig a small hole (no more than 15-20 cm). A pile is inserted into it, which they begin to screw in manually.
Practical situation
AHow is a pile foundation made in practice? Reviews indicate that there is no talk of any observance of the technology. As a rule, first a huge hole is dug a couple of meters deep, then a pile is inserted there, rotated a couple of times, after which all this disgrace is covered with earth. Naturally, this kind of design has no reliability. At the first rain, the earth is washed away, and the piles are peddling.
In addition, very often people report that during operation, the piles are constantly swinging to make it easier to twist them. By no means should this be done! These workers should be sent back. They will screw in the piles, but only after a couple of years the pile foundation for the house can really sink - and your housing will tilt. Thus, most of the negative reviews are related to the banal non-compliance with technology. This is very disappointing, since these foundations around the world have managed to establish themselves only on the positive side.
Besides, the majority of consumers are obsessed with the maniacal idea of savings: such "prudent" people sometimes choose piles of metal 2 mm thick, and then complain about subsidence of the foundation. Remember what SNIP suggests: pile foundations are made of steel at least 4 mm thick. The metal grade is 20, as it is at least 10-15% more durable than the third grade iron, which is most often used by most construction companies.
Important
Many buyers complain about negligent companies that do a poor job. Reviews with scarystories are full, but you should remember: if you want to call workers to drive the piles, then a test drive is a must!
Do not use the services of firms that frivolously dismiss it. Despite the availability of geodesy results, there may be a lot of rocky rock in more or less deep layers of soil, as well as other obstacles that make pile foundations impossible. The price of work is much higher, but it's worth it.
So, if you just buy piles from a supplier, then one unit will cost about 1200 rubles, while with test drilling and cementing the headband, its price will increase to 1300 rubles and more. However, if you do not have experience in such construction work, it is better to use the services of professionals who have already laid such foundations before.
Sustainability comes first
Everyone knows that when pouring a strip base, you need to wait a while for the concrete to harden properly. It's strange, but for some reason the same people are firmly convinced that a pile-screw foundation can be used within a couple of hours after twisting.
This is far from it! Experts say that ideally, you need to give the piles at least a year, during which the final shrinkage of the soil and the fixing of the structure will occur. If you hurry, nothing good will come of it: this is how angry reviews arise, in which people complain to each other about the shortcomings of the technology.
The need for geodetic exploration
It should be noted thatpiles should not be screwed in “as it happens”, but in accordance with practical considerations. Before starting construction, you should call specialists from the geodetic service and find out the depth of the dense layers of soil. It is up to their level that such a foundation should be laid, since otherwise the piles will become loose in soft soil over time.
Remember that it is desirable to cement the base of the pile foundation immediately, because if this structural part is poured with concrete in time, the probability of the pile deflection is greatly reduced.
The Importance of Presence in Workflow
Strange as it may seem, but for some reason many of our fellow citizens completely forget about this small detail. It does not matter what reputation the construction company has, but you (or your representative) must be on site. We have noted many times that workers can resort to a lot of tricks to simplify the process, but this should never be done.
In addition, it is necessary to immediately check the quality of the work, and, if necessary, take full pictures of the process, starting from the very first stages. Reviews indicate that if such material is available, any claims are considered quickly. Even negligent builders in this case prefer to resolve the issue amicably, because otherwise the court will still take the side of the consumer.
Experience in operating houses on a pile-screw foundation
Our article would be far from complete if we did not discuss the practical experience of operating houses that were placed on a pile-screw foundation. So, what gives the pile foundation? Reviews are contradictory, but some common points are still present.
Firstly, almost all homeowners report that it is cold on the floor in winter. This is especially true in those cases when the house is set in an open field, in an area that is not even surrounded by a fence. The wind freely blows through the space between the piles and the house, providing a stable (and significant) heat loss. You can easily notice that the pile foundation, the photo of which is in the article, can raise the house to a decent height.
Thus, I would like to advise you to do the following:
- Be sure to insulate the floor with modern materials, while not forgetting about the vapor barrier.
- Protect the perimeter of the territory with a fence or plantings that could reduce wind speed.
- Finally, in winter, you need to cover such a house with snow, closing the gap between the ground and the floor.
As for durability, it is too early to draw conclusions. Not a single house built on screw piles in our country has even celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. However, the homeowners themselves note that so far no distortions have appeared (with the exception of cases of technology violation).
In general, so far this technology has proven itself exceptionally well in our country, so there is no particular reason to refuse to use it.
Monolithic pile foundation technology
In the first part of the article, we examined the standard pile foundation. Reviews about it are rather contradictory, but we have already found out that in almost all cases, some negative points almost always arise through the fault of either the builders themselves or customers who did not control the workers.
It should be noted that there is simply no universal type of piles. Not in all conditions, their screw variety will be able to satisfy your needs, and therefore now we will discuss a monolithic pile foundation, based on consumer feedback.
Actually, builders call this type of foundation "recessed columnar foundation", which does not prevent us from considering it from the position of piles. It's just that in this case they are not screwed in separately, but poured with concrete in place. Unlike the technology described above, digging is welcome here. First, a well of the required diameter is drilled, a powerful sand cushion is poured onto its bottom, reinforced, and then poured with concrete.
A grillage is mounted in the upper part, which connects the entire structure into a single monolith with excellent strength characteristics. What are the benefits of this technology?
- Firstly, it is much easier to find equipment for drilling wells than for driving piles.
- Digging is not prohibited, so you can immediately familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the soil.
- There is no danger that the pile will be damaged or deformed, since it is poured directly on site.
- Good concrete lasts for centuries, so those who want to create their own "family nest" are shownmonolithic pile foundation. Technology suggests that the house will stand idle for a very long time.
Customer Reviews
As in the previous case, the immediate feelings of those who live in such houses should be discussed. Firstly, users note a slower laying speed (compared to screw piles). This is compensated by the high quality of work: if you control the preparation of concrete, it will be difficult for even careless employees to spoil something.
Experienced builders also note that it is not necessary to dig giant wells a couple of meters deep. For an average country house, it is enough to drill a well up to 80 cm deep. Important! Judging by the reviews, many are trying to put a bunch of filler there (crushed stone, crushed brick). Such a pile foundation installation is found everywhere.
This should not be done: experience shows that such piles tend to crack, while pure monolithic concrete can stand for years. Often there are stories that when dismantling old sheds (in the North, piles have been used for a long time), concrete columns (and they were 60-70 years old) were in perfect condition, while only dust remained from the building itself for a long time.
Important! Never use welded reinforcement for pouring the base! Reviews of some builders indicate that the use of such a solution leads to cracking and deformation of the pile. The thing is that the reinforcing base must be flexible (knitted) in order to evenly distribute the arising in the materialload.
The welded structure does not meet these requirements, and therefore cracks may occur. Some fans of country rest, who independently poured a monolithic pile foundation, often note that when cracks occur, water begins to quickly penetrate to the reinforcement. The result is predetermined: active corrosion and destruction of the pile. Do not repeat the mistakes of others when designing pile foundations!
The only option for heaving soils
Soils, which under certain conditions (cold season) can dramatically change their configuration, literally swelling on the surface, are called heaving. They are a real headache for almost all builders and those people who live in their distribution areas.
And just the same pile foundation (its price is really low), which is located below the level of freezing of such capricious soils, is a real salvation. According to residents of houses on piles, they do not observe any distortions of the foundation, while ordinary tape-type foundations literally “tears” already in the second or third year of operation of the house.
