Concrete Piling Foundations – The Street, Rushmere

There are all sorts of reasons why concrete piling is often the best choice of foundations for a new structure. One key advantage of concrete piling foundations is when you're working around protected trees and need to be careful not to damage their roots. Laying foundations near protected trees is a job with its own unique set of challenges, and one such job took the Fallon Piling team to the quiet village of Rushmere.

RESIDENTIAL CASE STUDY

Located just on the outskirts of Ipswich, in Suffolk, Rushmere is host to our client for this TPO Piling job, DBA Building Solutions. The team took us to a tranquil street that was literally named just that – The Street. Tree-lined and picturesque, The Street plays host to many luxurious houses, and our client was planning to add one more.

The project was a new dwelling, a high-end house for the discerning buyer. It would have a detached triple garage, as well as an annex, making for an ideal country retreat for anyone looking to escape the bustle of the city.

But first, the dwelling would need foundations, and in this case that meant concrete piling – hence, DBA Building Solutions got in touch with the team at Fallon. Read on to find out all about how we tackled the job of concrete piling on The Street.

With a number of protected trees around the job site, the Fallon team needed to be extra careful in the piling process.

Why Was Piling Required?

‍

Piling and pile foundations might be required for a new construction for any number of reasons. In this case, it was to do with The Street itself – remember those trees lining its sides? Well, some of these trees were important enough that the dwelling itself fell inside a tree root protection zone.

This meant it was crucial that the foundations of the building did not severely or irreparably damage the tree roots. Piling was an ideal solution here – pile shafts are comparatively slender when measured up against conventional concrete footings, meaning they impact less of the ground. They can go deeper into the ground, beyond the layer of topsoil that is crucial to the health of the tree, and in some cases they can actually improve aeration around the root.

The benefits also flow in the other direction – tree roots can cause ground movement, against which piles are more resistant than conventional footings. This protects the structure from heaving and subsidence. At Fallon Piling, we specialise in TPO-compliant tree-protection piling – see more on the TPO piling services we offer.

The conditions of the ground were coarse sand beneath clay, which can also lead to movement. Pile foundations were all-around the best choice for this construction – there was no question about that.

The job required hollow-stem 300mm diameter SFA grout-injection piles.

The Job

‍

The first thing to do, as always, is to prepare the ground and make it ready for piling – being careful, of course, not to disturb or damage the protected tree roots.

With this done, it was time for the piles. For this job, the team used hollow-stem 300mm diameter SFA grout-injection piles. The foundation of the building would be a traditional ring-beam foundation on load-bearing piles – with anti-heave precautions to make sure the structure was safe.

Working quickly and efficiently, the Fallon team got the piles in place to provide DBA Building Solutions with everything they needed to start building the structure – someone’s future home in the country.

Getting the piling done quickly and efficiently was essential in order to minimise disruption, for both the trees and the neighbours.

The Result

‍

Another happy home on The Street meant another satisfied customer for the Fallon team. We were happy to help with ensuring that this structure could be delivered safely and efficiently without disturbing the trees around it. We consider it hugely important to be considerate constructors, and this is a prime example of how piling can be an effective way to do this.

Do you have a construction job that needs TPO piling? Planning a tricky extension or new construction project that’s going to require some careful negotiation around a protected tree or group of trees? Our team is on hand to help out – get in touch today to fill us in on your plans, and let us help you make things happen.