Pin foundation question

[azkateo]

In my never-ending quest to try to save my body and not have to dig all the holes for post and pier, I have run across something called a pin foundation.  Does anyone have any info or practical experience with these??  Here is the website I saw: www.pinfoundations.com

Up to Northern AZ this weekend for a quote on putting in the septic and I would guess the soil type would have something to do with whether that type of foundation would work - hope the septic guy will not mind twenty-questions

[MountainDon]

In my never-ending quest to try to save my body and not have to dig all the holes for post and pier,

In my own quest to reduce labor along the same lines, my own solution is...
1. my neighbor and his backhoe attachment for his skid steer. That'll cost me for his fuel and a couple beer.

2. reducing the number of holes by upping the size of the beams that will sit on the posts.


As for the Pin Foundation, it's interesting.  My own own built in bias about being slow to accept what I perceive as "radical" ideas would prevent me from exploring that avenue. But that's just me, I don't want to discourage innovation. I am a technology lover, however, I tend to run at least one step behind most of the time. 

[MikeT]

I would think the soil type, building site issues (steepness of slope, etc), where you are building the local codes would all play a role in whether or not this would work.  For my site (a sloping lot with lots of old, uncontrolled backfill to dig through to get to bearing soil), this would not have worked at all.   By the time I got through the uncontrolled fill, I was into fractured basalt--and it was there that my soils engineer said I should build my foundation.   If I only had to dig a bit of a hole like in their video and hammer in a few poles, that would be one thing.  But if you have lots of work to do to get to a place where you can hammer in those poles, then I am not sure what you are saving.

Apropos to an earlier thread, if you are planning to get your place insured, you had better make sure that this is considered an acceptable foundation type for what you are building.....

JSIA....(just saying is all)....

mt

[glenn kangiser]

Looks like it can be done with the pins, but by the time you pay all the required people to do it, it will cost way more than digging the holes.

On another note, I have used my homemade version of this system in various places - it works.

...and what Mike said.

[Ernest T. Bass]

In my never-ending quest to try to save my body and not have to dig all the holes for post and pier, I have run across something called a pin foundation.  Does anyone have any info or practical experience with these??  Here is the website I saw: www.pinfoundations.com

I've wondered about the pin foundation as well... The concept seems simple enough to possibly build some from scratch and save $. What about digging a small tapering hole, pounding in some pipe in a diagonal criss-cross pattern like they do (leaving the ends of the pipe sticking up into the hole) and filling it up with concrete? Isn't that basically all it is? 

EDIT: Glenn, you've seen homemade versions work? How were they made?

[Willy]

This may sound funny but I allways figured if I did not have the energy to dig the holes for the foundation I was not up to building the cabin. Building the cabin has been harder work but more rewarding. The foundation work is kind of like nailing off the siding and roof takes a long time but you get it done if you stick with it. PS I had to help dig my 15 holes by hand a few days ago now the fun part is left. Mark

[glenn kangiser]

I have driven some at angles through creosote treated bridge timbers on rock  piers with plastic vapor barrier

I also used a similar one as a base for my wind generator per Bergey recommendations.

The only thing I would add to yours would be rebar or several circless of barb wire to keep it all together, and I would use at least 5/8 rebar instead of pipe.  There will likely be some rusting of the rebar.  This likely would not work good in deep frost areas, hence their suggestion of a soils tech.

[Redoverfarm]

  This likely would not work good in deep frost areas, hence their suggestion of a soils tech.

Ditto

[NM_Shooter]

Oh man.  I am strongly considering this technology.  I think it would save me two weekends of work.  Not to mention all the trouble of trying to get blocks, concrete, rebar, and gravel up on this property... I am going to do some heavy investigating though.

One of the the things I want to do is to look at some of the existing cabins and see if there is any heave.  The pin foundation folks have a heave whitepaper that says that their system has no more problems than any other technology re heave, and that the ground will "cleave" around the tapered foundation base. 

I have some questions for them....

1)  Obviously, what is the cost of the system per pier?
2)  Do you inspect the pins?  Are they warranteed against corrosion?

If I use these, I'll watch them carefully, and will probably put in a reference pier to measure heave down the road. 

Hmmmmmm........

-f-

[soomb]

NM- was there any further discovery with the pin foundations?

[NM_Shooter]

I wrote to these folks after studying their website.  I really like the idea of this technology, but ended up going "classic"

This is what I found out...

Not many dealers for this yet.  None in NM that I could find.  I was going to have to ship in the diamond blocks and the pins, and the shipping cost alone was going to be expensive.

The rental of the impact hammer was also not what I would call affordable. 

My soil is loam for the first 16", then gets more and more dense with rocks below that.  I was concerned that I would invest in this system with purchasing and shipping, and not be able to get the pins set.

I was also a bit worried about the winds that I have to deal with.  I am on a bit of an exposed hill, at the end of a long valley, and the trees funnel the wind up at me. 

All in all, I decided to use block piers instead.  30" holes, 8" pad, pilaster blocks up out of the ground, and the perimeter of the hole filled with concrete.  Got the last two in this last Friday....

Just need to install Mr. Simpson's beam clips and the piers are done.  It is good to be up out of the ground (except for gray water drain field, and outhouse pit, and spring box, and..... )

[Redoverfarm]

Frank all in all I think you made the right decision.  When I first heard of the pins the first thing that came to mind was these portable car ports and pop up canopys that just up lift in the wind and they end up on their tops some of the pegs still in the legs.  Yes a little more work your way but IMO the right way.

[soomb]

still... an interesting technology, and time will tell.