Sydney Screw Piling 101 – Your Questions Answered

What Are Screw Piles And What Is Screw Piling?

Screw piles or screw piling is a method of establishing a building foundation. Screw piles are favoured by many Sydney builders, Sydney project managers, Sydney construction companies and New South Wales infrastructure projects. Screw piles support many exciting completed and new projects around Sydney including apartment developments, shopping centres, homes, businesses, factories, train tracks, roads, light poles, stobie poles, and more.

How Do Screw Piles Work?

Screw piles can be installed into many different types of ground, without causing undue noise or ground vibration to the surrounding areas during the process of screw pile installation. The principle of a screw pile is similar to the principle of a wooden screw. Like a screw, a screw pile is wound into the ground where it takes a firm hold. It does this by cutting through the ground, rather than auguring or boring. It cuts due to the helices or ‘helical flights’ around the outside of the screw pile.

One of the reasons that screw piles are so effective is because they go deep and disperse the load of the building across the extent of the screw pile. This occurs when the protruding part of the shaft is connected to the structure; the structure’s load is then held and supported by the pile. Similarly, screw piles are highly capable in a range of different soil types, including areas with reasonably moist soils or sandy soils.

What Are The Advantages Of Screw Piles?

Industrial screw piles, commercial screw piles, domestic screw piles, residential screw piles and other types of screw piles used by your screw piling installer during screw pile installation have a range of benefits compared to other types of Sydney building foundations. Firstly, the diversity of their application means they are widely relied upon across a range of settings, including high rise screw piling, basement screw piling, retirement home screw piling, home extension screw piling, housing development screw piling and many other contexts as well.

Another major reason for the popularity of screw piles with your local screw piling contractor Piling Experts is that they can be installed quickly. There is nothing worse than a lengthy hold up during a construction project. It benefits no one to have tradies at a halt while you wait for the foundation of the building to be installed. This can be the case for other types of foundation setting, such as concrete slabs. Screw piles are fast and efficient and allow construction and building projects to move at your desired pace.

Secondly, screw piles can be installed when there is minimal room. Often construction projects will occur in an already built-up area. This is often the case with Sydney construction project screw piling. To install a screw pile, it is necessary to have high-quality machinery that can work at a high level of torque to install the screw pile securely to set a foundation for a building.

This machinery is able to fit into tight spaces, such as between buildings, or onto small work sites, or even down into basements where there is minimal room overhead. This makes screw piling popular for knock-down projects, reconstruction projects, rebuild projects and other urban development screw piling projects.

It is a clean method of deep foundation setting, as it limits spoils and mess on your worksite.

Can You Just Set And Forget Screw Piles Or Is Screw Pile Testing Important?

Even if you rely on a trusted Sydney screw pile installer, it is important to do your due diligence to ensure that screw piles are properly in place. There are a few risks if you do not have your screw piles checked, including settlement and damage. Settlement refers to when buildings shift downward into the ground as it compresses the soil beneath due to the structure’s weight.

A responsible screw piling installer will talk to you about this process during installation. If you have had screw piles installed and need them checked either because you are noticing issues or because you are simply being diligent and protecting your investment, then Piling Experts can help by undertaking dynamic load testing, static load testing or pile integrity testing on your structure’s screw piles.

How Can I Find Out More About Screw Piling In Sydney And Surrounding Areas?

The best bet is to get in touch with the screw piling experts, Piling Experts, by calling 0411 693 100 or emailing info@pilingexperts.com.au. We can service your screw piling needs by helping you with Sydney screw piling, Auburn screw piling, Wolli Creek screw piling, Broadmeadow screw piling, Charmhaven screw piling, Lake Heights screw piling and more. You may also wish to browse our other articles including Reasons to choose screw-piling for your Sydney Project or Underpinning Foundations: The Basics.