Timber Pilings

Timber Piling Contractor

What are timber piles? Timber piles are essentially treated telephone poles designed for below-ground applications. These piles are chemically treated with additional ground-contact preservatives to enhance durability. First used in the 1940s for wooden dock construction, timber piles have long supported structures such as wooden docks and boat lifts that line Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway.

In the 1950s, timber piles began being used to elevate homes, providing a cost-effective solution to meet FEMA flood zone regulations. This practice remains common today. By the 1960s, timber piles became a viable option for deep foundation systems in light commercial and residential construction, particularly in areas with weak soil conditions. Timber piles are still favored by some engineers for certain foundation projects in Florida.

However, the primary challenge with timber piles is the method of installation. Both vibratory and impact methods can cause vibration damage to nearby structures, particularly when driven through soils with blow counts greater than 15-20 at 5-foot thick or thicker clay layers, or in close proximity of other structures.

At Foundation Masters (FM), we only install timber piles when site conditions are ideal. This means no neighboring structures within 100 feet, no shell/loose foundations structures within 6-300 feet, and soil profiles with blow counts above 20–N-value below the water table, ineffective pre-drilling, absolutely no clay layers & soils.

If you find yourself needing to install timber piles in these challenging conditions, FM can help minimize the risk of vibration damage with services such as structural surveys of neighboring structures and vibration monitoring during pile installation.

That said, we always ask: why go through the added expense, risk of litigation, and potential headaches? FM offers the FM-PP30 new construction pipe pile, which even comes with a lifetime warranty!

Timber Piling Cost

Timber pilings that are used in new construction typical run $650.00+ per pile depending on timber pile size. There are contractor that will give a lower bid but they leave out key items, basically you don’t have a finished pile.

Timber Pilings

Timber Pilings that are exposed to oxygen will rot, dissolve, become soft and allow wood destroying insets and organisms to damage the pile.
The method of installation of Timber Pilings is know to cause construction vibration damage to the neighboring structures, resulting in expensive litigation.
Timber pilings will allow future settlement to take place and the timber pile does not come with any type of warranty leaving the homeowner with a expensive repair.

Steel Pilings

Steel Pilings will never fail for the simple reason they are driven to limestone.
The method of installation of Steel Pilings will not cause construction vibration damage to the neighboring structures, Foundation Masters LLC equipment has been tested by Hillsborough County Engineers, in reference to a project we completed that involved 15 homes with concern of construction vibration damage.
Steel pilings come with a Life Time Transferable Warranty. This warranty alone make the steel piling the better option for the simple reason of property value and resale value. This is very important to a builder that wants to sell there homes fast and the homeowner that wants protection in a sinkhole prone State.

Timber Piling Repair

To install a Timber Piling, you have to use a drop, impact (hydraulic, pneumatic, diesel) and/or vibratory hammer in which all can cause, Construction Vibration Damage to neighboring structures, from piling installation. This will put the homeowner, Engineer and your company at risk of legal action. Foundation Masters, LLC specializes in Construction Vibration Damage and handles around 10-12 of these cases a year.

If you are using Timber Pilings then have your contractor take GOOD pics of the neighboring homes/structures, and set up vibration monitoring equipment. The best way to go is contact us for a FREE construction site evaluation and/or design a different piling system. Foundation Masters, LLC specializes in theses types of claims and will protect you ‘our client’ from any chances of legal damages do to construction vibration damages. Foundation Masters, LLC will visually inspect any neighboring structures and record every crack pastern that may exist. Vibration monitoring systems will be used. Foundation Masters, LLC will make it very difficult for any adjacent property owner to claim construction vibration damage. We setup monitoring equipment to help protect our clients from incurring damage claims from levels of ground motion/vibration when a potentially aggressive construction or demolition project is planned to occur.