Alas, not every construction site has ideal conditions for erecting a structure: a horizontal platform, reliable soil, lack of groundwater, etc. Therefore, very often the developer is faced with the need to strengthen the construction of the base, and instead of the usual tape used
pile foundation.
Why not a simple foundation?
When, instead of the usual strip foundation, is the combined one used? First of all, when the bearing capacity of the soil leaves much to be desired. The most reliable are rock formations, gravel soils, dry sands and dried out, hardened and pressed clays. They are inferior to them in reliability, raw, fine sand, with impurities, and moist clay. Fine and dusty sand, water-saturated clay, sandy loam, and also loose soils fall into the hazard category - here you just need to use a tape-pile foundation.
Another option, when a reinforced base is required, is the location of the groundwater is too high if, moreover, they cannot be diverted using drainage. And, of course, if you plan to build not a private small house, but a multi-storey building, then obviously you can’t get by with a simple shallow or even a deep foundation: you need to install more solid base structures. Also do not forget that the relief of the construction site requires special attention: if your site is located on a slope and align it for any reason
uneconomical, you can use a tape-pile foundation.
Base calculations
Everyone understands that the construction of any home begins with laying the foundation. However, so that the building does not fall and does not sink, it is necessary to calculate the strip pile foundation, which will result in the foundation parameters: diameter of reinforcement, width and thickness of concrete. It is also necessary to determine the number of piles needed for a particular building, their location and the distance between them.
Foundation installation
Knowing all the parameters of the future foundation, you can begin to work directly at the construction site. The first step is to free the site from the existing networks located on it - electricity, gas, water. It is also necessary to install a drainage system if underground water is located in the thickness of the soil , which can damage the structure under construction. Now the plant and most fertile soil layer is removed; upon completion of construction, this land is used for landscaping the site. When the soil is prepared, a trench breaks out under the strip-pile foundation and wells are drilled under the piles in accordance with the calculations.
Next, piles are waterproofed, reinforcement installation and
concrete pouring are carried out. After the piles are ready, it is necessary to create a grillage, thus giving the structure additional rigidity. Before you start installing the strip foundation on the grillage, the aerial part of the foundation - the tops of the piles and grillage - is insulated.
As for the cost, when it comes to the pile and tape foundation, the price is an order of magnitude higher than in the case of the usual, unreinforced base. However, it is difficult to argue that such a design is much more reliable, and this fact is a weighty argument in favor of a more expensive foundation.