Does My Extension Need Piled Foundations?
Jamie Lindsay from Kirkwood, London, sheds some light on piled base extensions.
You may be planning on having a new extension built or have already started, and building control has informed you that piled foundations are required. This is less than ideal.
Read on to find out why piling, in some cases, is necessary.
I will explain about a unique patented piling design that we are using at Kirkwood. Our unique piling system for home extensions is helping our customers save money and avoid any unnecessary hidden costs.
Why Would You Need Piling?
There are many reasons that homeowners require a piled foundation when building their house extensions.
Firstly, clay ground conditions can be an issue. Typically, for a single-story extension, an extra depth strip foundation would suffice, but southern England is known for having the most shrinkable clay. If your soil test shows high shrinkage clay, then you should opt for our piled base extension as it comes at no extra cost.
Roots from trees such as oak, poplar, willow, plane, sycamore and ash are also a common cause for needing piling, especially in and around London. If you have any of these trees within 30 meters of your house, they need to be taken into consideration when deciding on the foundations.
This is something we would do for you as part of our house extensions plan, design & build. This is to ensure building control pass the foundation inspection with flying colours.
Is your existing house built on piled foundations? If so, then any additional extensions to the property would also need to include piled foundations. A straightforward rule of thumb, there was a reason the house was piled originally, so it would be best to keep this consistent when we build your house extensions.
What Are The Different Foundation Types?
Many different types of foundations can be used with your house extension build. Depending on the type of ground you are building on, the location your home is in, and the type of extension you require, there may be other foundation options you need.
Strip foundations are the most common type of foundation and are used on modern extensions starting at 1000mm depth, up to 1500mm. After that, a piled foundation would be required, but with Kirkwood a 1500mm deep footing would roughly cost the same as our piled foundation option.
Raft foundations are a reinforced concrete slab that covers the entire area of the extension, creating a large surface area to spread the load. These are not overly common, but handy for weak ground or if there is a large amount of drainage in the build area.
Piled foundations are used when the ground consists of high shrinkage clay, commonly found in southern England. Certain trees in close proximity could also be a reason why piling would be required.
What About Hidden Costs?
Typically, a builder would not know if piling is required until contracts are signed, and foundations are excavated. Building control will then tell you of the unfortunate, and in most cases, costly news.
Negotiations then take place, and an unpredictable bad atmosphere is created due to unforeseen hidden costs below ground.
Fortunately, this is avoidable!
Kirkwood – House Extension Experts in London
Kirkwood has highly experienced individuals who will determine the risk factors on whether piled foundations would be required, even before contracts are signed.
It is important you can work with a home extensions company that you can trust and is highly knowledgable on the foundations required for your new house extensions.
We offer a unique patented piling system as an alternative to the standard piling. The system means that the piling is easily affordable if required. By choosing to build your house extension in London with Kirkwood, we offer a professional alternative to the problems that many homeowners face.
Get in touch with us today on 0207 099 6187 or contact us for a free house extension quote, including a price match guarantee!