Helping a Builder Through the Piling Process in Sheffield

Recently, a builder was told by a Building Control Officer that his wrap-around extension in Sheffield needed piling due to the presence of large trees next door. Despite being in construction for a long time, he had never had to pile before, so he fired up Google and found Rhino Piling.

Soon after his enquiry, our Technical Advisor, Jonathan Wolowicz, made the trip from Manchester to pay him a visit. He explained what the piling process would entail step-by-step, and due to the trees next door, he also informed them all about heave. He explained how the trees extract a lot of moisture from the soil, and if anything were to happen to those trees, i.e. if they were to be cut down or die, the moisture would instead remain in the ground, causing it to swell upwards, which is not good news for any structure built on top.

Jonathan also told them that we install Clayboard void former, which protects against heave by allowing the soil to expand and contract without affecting the foundation, as the image below demonstrates.

After getting the go-ahead, our Operations Manager took over and told the builder exactly how to prepare and mark out the site. This is crucial because if the footings aren’t dug properly, it can delay us and the rest of the project’s contractors. Improper footings can also mean having to pay for extra, unnecessary concrete, which isn’t cheap at the moment.

x12 150mmø piles, 24m of steel ring beam and 5.7 cubic metres of concrete later, and the large wrap-around extension was out of the ground.

As a piling contractor in Hyde, Manchester, we’ve completed a lot of mini piling work on a variety of projects in Sheffield. It’s an area we know well! So whether you’re a piling veteran or you’ve never piled before, give us a call on 0161 706 0365 or drop us an email at enquiries@rhinopiling.co.uk to arrange a free site visit.