Six documents you need for piling

Blog Post
Image of surveyor and contractor on a building site - piling documents

While it’s important to get the design and installation of the pile foundations right first time, one thing you may not have considered are the documents you need to submit to ensure the foundations are approved by building control.

To help minimise any delays you need to ensure your paperwork is right - here are six documents you’ll need.

Before piling construction

  • Geotechnical site investigation report (to below the pile toe)
  • Foundation drawings and pile layouts (with pile reference numbers and loadings)
  • Calculations to show how the load on each pile was calculated
  • Pile design calculation (for vertical, horizontal and heave forces) and a copy of the pile set design

Before further work over the piles

  • (a) Confirmation and justification for the proposed number of pile load tests and (b) copies of reports (e.g. static /dynamic / CAPWAP)
  • Pile integrity tests and installation logs (with pile numbers referenced to the pile layout drawing)

Further reading

Interested in the subject? Try: Is the wall on the foundation? and  Raft foundation basics

Piling on London clay? Request the LDSA Piling Guide.

 

Please Note: Every care was taken to ensure the information was correct at the time of publication. Any written guidance provided does not replace the user’s professional judgement. It is the responsibility of the dutyholder or person carrying out the work to ensure compliance with relevant building regulations or applicable technical standards.

Comments

Pile driving in urban setting

Submitted 5 years 9 months ago

How close is too close? Can pile driving be carried out safely and without causing damage to neighbouring properties when there are buildings within 35 feet of the pile site? What is the noise level likely to be at this distance - i.e can employees in business premises or local residents continue their daily lives while work is going on?

Reply to: Pile driving in urban setting

Submitted 5 years 9 months ago

Hi there, thanks for your questions.

Both questions are not strictly covered within the legislation under the Building Regulations. In relation to the question about damage to adjoining properties, this will be a matter between the owners. If work is being undertaken near to the party wall the Party Wall Act may cover this. The Local Authority will control the noise levels - usually the Environmental Health department. If there is excessive noise or work is being undertaken outside permitted working hours please contact the local authority.

Hope that helps.

John, LABC

Dead link - good practice guide on piling

Submitted 5 years 6 months ago

The link doesn't work. Have you withdrawn the document - if so, what's the reason?

Reply to: Dead link - good practice guide on piling

Submitted 5 years 6 months ago

Hi there,

Thanks for pointing that out, apologies. We're in the process of updating the link to the guide.

Regards,

LABC

Pile Driving in a residential location

Submitted 4 years 11 months ago

2 developers have been extensively pile driving on a site next to my home. One carried out a survey after damage began to be caused but refuses to give me a copy. the other knows they are well above the limit of vibration but refuse to stop and my home is being shaken and damaged by these works. The local authority knows that they have both been in breach of planning conditions but is completely ineffectual at dealing with this. What are my rights and what can I do to prevent even more damage?

(No subject)

Submitted 4 years 11 months ago

Hello

Thanks for raising your comment.

LABC is the membership organisation representing local authority building control departments in England and Wales. However we are not a governing body for them.

You would need to raise this as a complaint with the local authority directly - they will be able to provide details of their complaints procedure. If you exhaust their own complaints procedure you can raise a complaint with the local government ombudsman https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint please note they won’t usually look at a complaint until the council’s own procedures have been exhausted.

Regards,
LABC

Heavy vecheil with Crain lift to off load sand and stone. In a

Submitted 4 years 6 months ago

My neighbours are having flags lay at the front of the house. The long axel vehicle with a crain reversed into the cul de sac that should have a roof connecting mine and my neighbours house restricting high vehicles. All the houses are piled. What is the weight restriction on a piled cup de sac? Is it the same as a main road?

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