No Dig Footer

[Vulcan]

This just popped up on YT. What a clever idea.

 

[Fitzroy]

As the cost of labour has become disproportionately greater than the cost of materials there are more and more of these solutions. Ground screws are the other similar solution. Having a brief look these can take considerably more load (1500kg ish) than the ground screws (600kg ish), but are 3-4x the price. Looks like a quick install if the ground is suitable, no big rocks, so could be building the same day which would be nice!

 

[Inspector]

I wonder how these perform in areas with deep frost? Foundations, ground screws, piles etc here have to go down to 10'/3m to be approved for building.

 

[Ed Weber]

This strikes me as another one of those things.
Who would have ever thought about driving a stake in the ground to keep things in place???
Also you still need to be aware of where you're driving those stakes. Where I live, electric, gas, tel, internet, etc, are all underground. You're required to call before you dig.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I can understand why these systems are not appropriate in other parts of the world due to climate or building regulations and practices.

However the UK suffers little from permafrost and most urban property has services (gas, water, sewage, electric) whose location is generally very clear.

Particularly if building loads are low (single storey, timber etc) and building life measured in a few decades rather than possibly centuries, they seem a cheap, fast and effective solution.

Even with subsidence in normal buildings, resin injection through small deep holes is preferred to the traditional disruptive digging to created a larger concrete raft.

 

[Lard]

All we need now is for someone to take on building control with design calcs etc and for them to take the first step and we're away

 

[Terrytpot]

they seem a cheap, fast and effective solution…

The cynic in me believes anyone distributing these over here will no doubt soon disabuse you of how cheap they are by pricing them considerably higher than similar alternatives such as ground screws. For industrial applications I can see the benefits to be gained in respect to speed of installation where that additional cost can be passed on to the end customer but for us mere mortals without some way to offset that additional cost it looks like we’ll still be wearing out shovels, unless of course, some enterprising soul decides he can easily replicate the design and decides to undercut the designer…

 

[curryjunkie]

here in my part of ireland those pins would get about 6 inches in before hitting a boulder

 

[Ed Weber]

There are certainly application for these little things but we'll have to wait and see.
Every area seems to have it's own building codes and requirements like, water tables, frost-lines, utilities, soil composition, and on and on. I think they're going to need to pass a lot of tests before they are more widely approved.

 

[mcostello]

Wetter than usual months can upturn trees. Trees stronger than a few stakes here and there.

 

[Ed Weber]

I got curious and knew that all this convenience came at a price.
So I located their website,
https://www.diamondpiers.com/
Then found a couple of sites that actually sold them.
https://builderswarehouse.com/diamond-pier-dp7563-foundation-kit.html?gad_source=1
https://prodeckmn.com/products/diamond-pier-footings

Prices vary greatly

 

[TRITON]

here in my part of Ireland those pins would get about 6 inches in before hitting a boulder

Same in Scotland. Even getting a tent peg in can take several tries.

I think the end should have some sort of fitting so you can attach a big SDS to it, and maybe hammer your way through any underground obstructions