Concrete / Steel Pilings
If you are planning on building a home or having your home or building foundation renovated you may get this question asked to you. Would you prefer concrete or steel pilings? Both are reliable options to lay your foundation on. Concrete has been used for centuries to lay the foundations of buildings and many century-old buildings still stand today. The same can be said of steel pilings. So this makes the decision an even tougher one. Steel pilings can actually be driven down into the ground enough to reach the bedrock. In very unstable soil this could be a huge advantage!
Benefits of Steel Pilings Steel pilings like we just mentioned can be driven way deeper into the ground than concrete pilings can. This will give you a more stable base on which to build on. Not to mention steel is considerably more durable than concrete is. Plus you will be able to lay a lot more weight on top of a steel foundation than you would a concrete one. To be honest most contractors would advise you to go with steel pilings. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should take their advice and run! Cons of Steel Pilings Right off the bat, you will notice this difference between both pilings since we can work with both of them there is no need for us to hide it. Steel pilings weather as the main component of the original foundation or the support for a foundation repair is considerably more costly than concrete pilings. Let’s face this too, although they can be a lot more durable do you really care if one pillar is going to last 150 years and the other one 300 plus? Chances are you won’t be around long enough. Now, steel may need fewer repairs and that could be a benefit! Benefits of Concrete Pilings The biggest benefit of using concrete pilings is one that you could have probably guessed by reading the cons of steel pilings. Concrete overall costs a lot less to manufacture than steel does. Plus you won’t require as much heavy-duty machinery to get them properly installed or even repaired for that matter. That will not only save you money, but it will make any adjustment a lot easier to make. If steel foundations are botched in any way by the construction company you are going to have an expensive problem on your hands. Cons of Concrete Pilings & Verdict The main issue with concrete pilings is the fact that they are not driven that deep into the soil. With the type of soil we have around here this could lead to plenty of problems down the road. You will typically need to be more conscious of getting your foundation checked out on a consistent basis and have to dish out a bit more money in repairs from time to time. Our final verdict would be, it really depends on your budget. When it comes to repairs we can end up mixing both types of pilings! Once your home is on a great foundation now its time to repair any cracks. |
|