biggerboat's building boondoggle blog
I started this in H&F but this seems a better place for it. These are my H&F posts. A bit long-winded but hopefully en
I thought the point of these was to raise the new house to avoid flooding. Is that little bit sticking up enough?
I thought the point of these was to raise the new house to avoid flooding. Is that little bit sticking up enough?
I believe they will pour the foundation on top of them. They will keep it from settling or sinking. The raised part sits on cinder blocks.
Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification.
I guess when I've been down in the Keys and saw raised houses, I didn't look that closely at the supports.
currently being shaved with occam's razor and soon to be slipped through a slit in the fence when you least expect it
They poured the foundation yesterday. Delivered cinder blocks today.
I'm still not clear about the posts they sunk. They seem to be placed all willy-nilly. Some are under the pour, some not. I dunno.
AI knows everything.
why do they drive telephone poles in the ground before they pour a foundation
Construction crews drive long timber poles (piles) into the ground before pouring a foundation to stabilize buildings in soft, loose, or wet soils. These poles act as deep anchors, transferring the structure's heavy weight downward to dense bedrock or using surface friction to keep the building from sinking.This deep foundation method solves several major structural and environmental problems on a job site:Bypassing Weak Topsoil: Near coastal regions like St. Petersburg or marshy areas, the top layer of dirt is often too soft to support a heavy structure. Piles reach through this poor-quality dirt to find a stable layer of earth.Friction and Adhesion: Rather than hitting hard rock, many timber piles utilize the concept of friction piles. The surface area of the pole grips the surrounding soil tightly, relying on skin friction and adhesion to prevent the building from shifting or settling over time.Soil Compaction: Driving a grid of timber poles into the earth physically compresses the surrounding soil. This densifies loose sand or clay, significantly lowering the risk of the ground settling unevenly.Liquefaction Prevention: In earthquake-prone or hurricane-heavy coastal areas, water-saturated soils can lose their strength and behave like a liquid. Driving deep timber poles anchors the foundation safely past these vulnerable upper layers.
Not all of the foundation is on top of the poles,though?
Correct. Only specific structural sections sit directly on top of those timber poles. The rest of the concrete foundation spans between these reinforced points.Here is exactly how the weight is distributed across the foundation:Pile Caps: Crews pour thick blocks of concrete directly over the top of each individual pole (or group of poles) to lock them together and create a flat, heavy-duty load bearing point.Grade Beams: Concrete beams run horizontally between these pile caps, acting like underground bridges that span across the unsupported, soft soil gaps.Concrete Slabs: The flat concrete floor slab is poured over the top of this interconnected grid of beams and caps.Load Path: The weight of the building travels down the walls, into the grade beams, through the pile caps, and down the poles into the deep, stable earth.Soil Contact: While the concrete slab touches the ground, engineers assume the soft dirt underneath offers zero support, forcing the poles to carry 100% of the structural weight.
