First time on this forum….
I am a GC in the Bethany Beach, DE area. I am planning a 2 story addition on pilings to a house I recently purchased. I am having trouble getting the pile driver lined up and am now considering building my own using either round forms or core filling chimney block. Does any one have a www how to link or any experience to share. I will have the design engineered before starting. One specific question is what is the best way to attach steel I beams to the pilings. Any advice would be appreciated.
Replies
How deep are the piles going to be?
IanDG
I'll go along with Ian on the "how long are the piles going to be" question.
If you planned to use driven piles, my assumption is that you either need to go very deep to get to good bearing, or you're using the length of the piles to develop side friction and use that for bearing. In either case, how do you plan on excavating deep enough for these piles, without some sort of restraint system (sheeting, etc) to keep the holes open? If the piles were friction piles, you won't develop any friction if you excavate, place the "piles" and then backfill. Seems to me that if you're using the term "piles" correctly, you've gotta wait for your piledriving sub.
Bob
The pilings would be set on 24" footers. Basically this is pier construction. But core filling the piers with concrete. The footers would be just below the frost line.
LB
Ok, in that case, you have me really confused. What you've just described are piers (probably concrete block) placed on concrete footings, not piles. The fact that you mentioned hiring a "pile driver" caused the confusion- you wouldn't use a pile driver to get just below frost line, unless your frost line is 20 or 30' deep, which I don't think it is in Maryland.
If that's the case, why wouldn't you just build them out of concret eblock and grout them solid, rather than re-inventing the wheel and using flue liners? The round sonotubes are another option which would work fine, provided they're big enough.
Bob
Sorry for the confusion. Plan A was to have piles driven, but since I cant get them here to do the work, I am looking for Plan B, thus the idea of creating my own "piles" i.e. piers, out of concrete block. What are eblocks? Will they be strong enough to support a 2 story structure with the first floor 8 feet above grade?
That e in eblock was supposed to complete the word before it: concret
Probably hit the spac e bar a little quick
ColeCole Dean
Dean Contracting
We can't tell what substructure you will need just on the information you have given. It will depend on the soil bearing capacity for a start. I agree with Bob that generally piles are used for situations where a conventional concrete base and column structure is unsuitable or impractical.
IanDG
go look at what the hurricane did to pensacola beach and then decide wheather you want to do the piling yourself.
Ever been to the OBX?
There's a house there, it's kind of a local attraction, anyhow, it's the only one there with steel beams. The rust is dripping off. Could be from a lack of maintenance. I don't know how your salty air is compared with down there, but, have you considered wood?
The house currently has steel I beam girders. They came primed and have been exposed to the air for 15 years. No rust. Steel spans are much greater than PSLs or built up 2x12s. So I can avoid some pilings using steel.
Piers are common on cottages here in Ontario, Canada. Used to be core-filled 12" square concrete block, pretty much now all sonotube. Easy and fast to do.
Pretty much like building a deck (built up beams of 2x10 or 2x12 set in saddles on top of the piers), except for how you insulate under the floor. Nowadays spray foam insulation makes that job easier.
I haven't seen any steel beams instead of built-up wood. I suspect two reasons: no cost benefit, and possibly a soil-loading problem. Or a lateral stability issue. I mean, even if you could sit a house on just 4 piers, would you really want to?
Regards,
Tim Ruttan
I vacationed in Bethany a few years ago, on the beach. I'm guessing the winter tidal storms must have washed away quite a few buildings over the years. All the new places were built up high on driven wood pilings. I don't think it has anything to do with frost or just weight support for the buildings. There must be building codes or proven practices in town that mandate such measures. The issue is the ocean washing things away. Concrete sona tubes would not prevent the waves and water from washing the building away unless they were very deep. This would put them below water level, hence the wood pilings. Other methods I think, would be cost prohibitive.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match