Project Snapshot
- Type: Residential house extension
- Location: Romiley, Stockport
- Client: Homeowner
- Piles: 11 x 150mm
- Beam: 19.5m x 500mm x 350mm
- Concrete: 6.5 cubic metres
- Date completed: January 2026
THE CHALLENGE
Due to the presence of a nearby stream, as well as a lot of clay, this site required a lot of pre-auger work. Typically, we would bring a digger to site and use an auger drill to complete this task, however access was very tricky.
To get around this problem, we hired an M-TRAK drilling rig which performed extremely well. We transported the rig to the rear of the property and completed all drilling work in less than a day.
WHAT WE DID
Piling
Once we completed the auger stage, we began driving the eleven piles. Our team knows that efficiency is the key to finishing the job quickly, so they worked on the pre-augered sections first.
Each pile was driven to an average of 4-5 metres, which was the predicted depth. This is always helpful for our customer and our team, as it means we are on or ahead of schedule.
Steel Ring Beam
Before we installed the ring beam, we first had to lay down heave protection. This acts as a buffer between clay and concrete, which prevents any damage to the foundations from the clay shrinking or swelling. This is a lot more common than most would think, we recommend looking at a similar clay themed foundation job by clicking here.
We then installed all 19.5 metres of ring beam. With the heave protection installed, the ring beam has to go on top with 75mm spacers in-between. After this, we were ready for concrete.
Concrete
The concrete delivery was particularly interesting, as access was awkward but there was no concrete pump. We managed to set up a ramp from inside the garage, out the door and straight into the footing. We always use C35 grade concrete for this type of extension, as it’s rated for loads much heavier than this extension.
The last wheelbarrow of concrete was poured at 2:50pm, and the job was officially complete.
THE OUTCOME
Pre-augering, piling, heave installation and concrete; all in four working days. With foundations by Rhino, this house extension will outlive the house!
The main challenges came from the logistics of getting the M-TRAK drilling rig to the rear of the property, as well as the extremely wet weather. Despite this, our teams are very much used to Northern England’s tendency to combine the cold, wet and windy.
This particular job, even with the additional drilling and heave, went smoothly. If you want to see the full job start-to-finish, click here.
Phone: 0161 706 0365 | Email: enquiries@rhinopiling.co.uk
