Column Foundation vs. Bored Piles: What's the Difference?

Column and pile foundations are very similar, and it can be quite difficult to work out how they differ.

Victor came to us with this problem too: he wanted to build a foundation at low cost and got completely lost among the different types.

Victor was considering bored piles, counting on low costs, but he was worried that his dacha neighbours' posts had been pushed out of the ground and the house had tilted, developing a large crack last spring. He also told another story: for some acquaintances only a few years had passed since the dacha was built, yet all the posts had tilted and were about to collapse altogether. Victor was somewhat upset, because his budget was very small, and he so wanted a house of his own!

We explained to the client that a column foundation and bored piles are different types of foundations, although they are similar in some ways. A column foundation is classed as a foundation on natural ground, while piles belong to pile foundations, which are designed under separate rules. Which type is suitable depends on the soils, including their frost-heave susceptibility, on the loads and the design of the house, and is determined by the design project. Both kinds of foundation are checked for the effects of frost heave.

Based on the available information, the cause of the movement of the supports at Victor's neighbours' cannot be determined. One possible cause is frost heave. The stability of the supports and the need to tie them together with foundation beams are determined by calculation and the design project.

The applicability of a column foundation under massive brick or reinforced-concrete walls is determined by load calculations and the design project.

A noticeable difference in ground level on a plot affects the choice of foundation type and is taken into account in the design project.

On Victor's plot the level difference was 1.8 m.

Whether a column foundation is suitable for a particular house depends on the soils, loads, structure and service life; the foundation type is chosen on the basis of engineering-geological surveys and the design project.

Fortunately, we were able to find a solution for Victor. For his plot we chose bored piles.

Besides, the client came to us in late autumn to consider the different options and start laying the foundation in the summer.

As a result, already in December we laid Victor's foundation, and over the remaining two months of winter he built the walls of the first floor.

Construction times depend on the project; when concrete is placed in cold weather, measures are needed to protect the concrete from freezing.

Victor was very pleased, because at this pace he would be relaxing in his own country house in the summer, not in a stuffy apartment in one of the city's districts.

For other foundation options for a straw-panel house, see the overview: Foundation for a Straw-Panel House.