Foundation Questions, depth, pier size

Started by vanisleliving, January 22, 2023, 08:01:25 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

vanisleliving

Hey,

digging some test holes on the property around where we plan on building the cabin, 24x32, we live on a gulf island off of vancouver island so its very wet outside of summer. On the driest area of our lot I can dig 27-28" before I hit the water line and the hole starts to fill. The soil is composed of top to bottom 6" of regular firm dirt and then almost immediately turns to 95% or more sand. 
For a cabin of this size is a pier foundation going to work with a layer of gravel at 3' then the cement pier would be only 24" below the ground, just below the 18" frost line. 

I suppose my question is, is a 4' pier large (tall) enough, id plan on 12-16 piers I think either 4x4x4 or 5x5x5

thanks in advance I am going to have a ton of questions as I am hoping to DIY the majority of the build

NathanS

What do people on the island do and how are the older places looking? Piers are normally a poor foundation choice as they rely on the ground to brace the structure and ground varies greatly from place to place, whereas a continuous perimeter is a guaranteed to work well.

Do you hit water at 2 feet during the dry time of the year?