Questions to Ask When Selecting a Piling Contractor in New South Wales

Are they capable using equipment and processes that result in minimal ground disturbance?
This may be particularly important for jobs in a domestic or urban setting, where residents and businesses may be inconvenienced by ground disturbance. It is also the case when working near heritage buildings or heritage walls, which are being preserved.

Can the piling contractor work in tight spaces?
It is common for piling jobs to need to be completed in spaces which have head height restrictions, width restrictions, and entry restrictions. In some cases, it may be necessary to be dropped into a site (such as a basement) by crane because there is not a physical entry point which can be driven through by the piling rig. Does your piling contractor offer this service?

What is their work ethic like?
You will want to select a piling contractor who works with screw piles, bored piles and underpinning in Sydney and New South Wales, who is capable of working to specified timeframes, budgets and plans.

Can they access a site remotely?
This is occasionally necessary, for example, if there is a pre-existing car park. Some piling contractors in Sydney, such as screw piling specialists Piling Experts, have the equipment and crew to allow them to work around existing infrastructure – which may avoid the need for demolition and help to keep a project on budget.

Can they work at night?
If you have a piling contractor who can work at night, they are likely to produce less disturbance. This may be what the community expresses to a council or other body during consultation. It may also be a requirement of a private development firm to work at night to get the project over the line.

Can they provide piles that match the local conditions?
Firstly, do they have the necessary equipment? Do they offer screw piles of various sizes and lengths, with different ratings? Do they offer screw piles with circular helixes and with square helixes? Do they offer bored piling and underpinning, and a variety of other services? Also ask: do they have the geological, geotechnical and structural engineering expertise to adapt their deep foundations approach to the setting – whether it is hard soil, rock or sand, for example?

Are they committed to precision?
Having a quality plan is one thing; it also needs to be executed with precision in the field. It may be worth asking your screw piling contractor what tolerances they work with. A tolerance of 75mm is the rule we follow here at Piling Experts. This ensures that engineer’s plans are respected and that the benefits of their engineering knowledge are actually reflected in the site’s foundations.

Do they have a team based approach?
Firstly, it will be necessary that they have sufficient teams within their screw piling company in Sydney for this to be possible. At Piling Experts, we are proud to have five full time teams to ensure we can service your needs in a timely manner. Even if a company has enough staff on the ground though, it is still important that they have a culture of collaboration, and the equipment to support it – such as radio communications equipment. Do their spotters work closely with the operators?

Are they skilled across the various skills-based areas of piling, such as oxyacetylene cutting?
There is more to piling than inserting piles into the ground to form the foundations of a building. Aspects such as oxyacetylene metal cutting also form a crucial part of screw piling operations; as does structural welding, which may be necessary for connecting screw piles together to form a sufficiently deep foundation. Assess your potential screw piling contractor’s abilities in these other, less obvious areas.

Do they have the machinery to achieve what you need?
Here at Piling Experts, we have a range of machinery to achieve your goals, including a 24 tonne Komatsu piling rig for heavy jobs. Our most extreme machinery is capable of pushing 300,000Nm of power into the ground. We also have a smaller fleet for more domestic jobs, not to mention trucks to transport piles to site in a timely and efficient manner.

Are they able to minimise spoil removal?
Everyone wants a clean trade site. Ensure you are engaging a screw piling contractor who is capable of minimising the mess, so that the contractors around them can continue working to plan and are not interrupted by a clean-up effort. Delays can have a domino effect and influence the whole construction process.

Are they well reviewed and recommended?
Look into the Sydney piling contractor on their Google Reviews and social media pages and ensure that they have a strong reputation within the industry.

For more information on screw piling, browse our website or contact Piling Experts on 0411 693 100 or info@pilingexperts.com.au.