Screw Piles vs Concrete for Garden Rooms (The UK Ultimate Guide)

One of the biggest questions for homeowners building a garden room is whether to opt for a screw pile base or traditional concrete slab. Although both types of foundations can support a garden room, the methods of installation, the performance and long term benefits can vary widely.

You should understand what differences are there so you can make an informed decision on which base to use for your garden room!

What are screw piles?

Screw piers are a steel basis that is installed on the spot of your deep driveway. It will provide a solid foundation without excessive excavating or tons of concrete.

Screw piles is a modern way of providing a garden room foundation. It is fast and precise.

What is a concrete base?

Concrete base means digging of the area with preparation for shuttering and after all pouring concrete in this area with reinforcement. The result is a solid slab.

This technique is powerful but extremely slow and significantly more disruptive to the area.

What installs faster?

Screw piles

• No excavation is required

• No cure time is required. It can provide structural support.

Concrete slabs can be at the mercy of weather and will take longer to cure. This is the reason screw piles are favourite amongst many homeowners.

Effects on Your Garden

Slightly more digging is required for most concrete foundations, and that can take quite a toll on your garden – and the surrounding landscaping at your home.

Screw Piles:

• Cause more minimal disturbance on the earth

• Not so messy install process

• Want to preserve the existing features of your garden?

For these reasons, small landscaped or built up gardens are well suited to screw piles.

Structural Considerations

As long as the designs are correct both systems can give solid structural support.

Screw piles also provide:

• The ability to level

• The capacity to receive less level sites

• Reduced chance of water or moisture getting trapped underneath the home

Concrete slabs provide a less flexible solution, in that they create a set foundation and cannot be moved once installed.

Sustainability

Screw Piles are eco-friendly in that construction disturbance is less due to:

• Utilize less resources

• Create less waste

• No need larger scale concrete pours

With sustainability being a real buzz-word in the UK construction industry, it is naturally one they have marketed as one of their main benefits

Concrete bases are fixed in place and often a difficulty to change, whereas screw piles have the potential for many more adjustments in future.

What is the Ideal Base for a Garden Room?

Screw pile is the perfect solution for modern insulated garden rooms and living annexes because they are faster to install, less mess than traditional trench based pads and are highly adaptable.

Although concrete will of course endure as a potential renewable source for temperature-resistant and large quantities by adhering to typical construction codes, many current-day property owners are choosing ground screw systems simply because they have better efficiency & efficiency.

The Pecasa Method

While choosing a screw pile foundation, we at Pecasa always consider your design, site conditions and long-term performance. This was done to deviate from the conservative design of concrete piles.

The modern pile system we use yields the following:

• Modular garden rooms that are simple to modify with a less abrasive site impact

• Industry Lead for Fastest Installations

• Equipment that is adequately supported and protected in an insulated setting.

We want a foundation that underpins the building, and the lifestyle it represents.