Screw piles for a garage

Advantages of Screw Piles for a Garage

Many car owners wonder: why install screw piles when you can simply pour a strip foundation or slab foundation? In practice, a pile foundation often proves more cost-effective and reliable.

Quick Installation

You can install piles for a garage in just one day, even without heavy equipment. This means you can put up the walls and roof literally the next day. In comparison, a strip foundation or slab foundation requires a week of excavation and concrete curing.

Minimal Excavation

There's no need to dig trenches, order concrete mixers, or mess with formwork. This is especially convenient in areas with high groundwater levels or where the soil is unstable—the piles are simply screwed in below the frost line.

Winter Installation Possibility

Unlike concrete foundations, screw piles can be installed even in winter, when the ground is frozen. This saves time and allows you to build a garage in any season.

Versatility and reliability

Piles work on a wide variety of soils, except rocky ones. With the right diameter and wall thickness, they can easily support the loads of a garage, including a heavy, insulated roof and a second floor. And with anti-corrosion treatment, they last 50 years or more.

Budget savings

In terms of materials and labor, a pile foundation is cheaper than a slab or strip foundation. And considering that the floor is laid on the ground anyway, there's simply no point in overpaying for a concrete foundation for the entire garage.

Mistakes when choosing a pile foundation for a garage

Even with simple pile technology, mistakes are common. And they significantly reduce the lifespan of a garage.

Pile diameter too small

Sometimes, to save money, they use piles with a diameter of 76 mm, which are good only for a fence. Under a garage, such piles will quickly begin to move under the load of the walls and roof. The minimum for a frame garage is 89 mm, and for a brick or block garage, 108 mm or higher.

Saving on anti-corrosion treatment

Damp soils and temperature fluctuations will destroy a pile without protection in 5-7 years. The correct option is hot-dip galvanizing or at least thick primer-enamel. Combined protection: a factory coating plus additional painting after installation works well.

Lack of bracing

Piles must be connected with a channel or beam, otherwise each pile will take on a life of its own. This will lead to warped walls and problems with the gate. Metal framing is essential even for lightweight garages made of corrugated sheets.

Ignoring the site's geology

If the frost depth or weak soil layers are not taken into account, the piles simply won't work properly. In the Leningrad Region, for example, peat bogs and clay are common—here, the correct length and, sometimes, reinforced piles are needed.

DIY installation without a level

The piles must be driven strictly vertically and aligned horizontally. Errors of 2–3 centimeters on a small structure are noticeable: the gate won't open, the roof will warp.

The bottom line is simple: skimping on diameter, protection, and framing always results in double the cost of repairs.