Strengthen the foundations with a Retaining Wall
A retaining wall is constructed on sloping ground in order to create a stable structure and prevent the erosion and movement of the soil. The retaining wall will balance out lateral pressures that occur from the ground sloping. Seepage holes within the structure allow any ground water that has accumulated to escape, which makes the wall more stable by releasing water pressure.
Retaining walls can be made from a number of different materials. Concrete and stone are popular choices as well as special retaining wall blocks that are made from aggregate materials (sand and gravel) and light concrete. Some types of retaining wall blocks are interlocking, which means that they do not require mortar to be secured together.
Retaining wall blocks are a reliable and affordable option when stabilising a sloped area of ground. Creating a level surface is key to ensuring lasting stability. Each layer of retaining wall blocks needs to be backfilled with sand, stone, gravel or leftover soil, to bulk out the structure and also to allow water to drain out. Now your retaining wall will do its job.
A building without foundation piling is soon demolished
That Chinese proverb may have been slightly altered for the sake of this blog, but it rings true. Foundation piling is what gives a vertical structure its stability and without it, the construction industry would be entirely different. The construction of buildings requires extensive planning, materials and expertise. Great architecture is generally appreciated by people; however, the unseen structural components remain unseen and therefore unacknowledged. Compared to residential projects, commercial buildings require more foundation piling work as the structures tend to be on a much larger scale. In fact, they are more often than not, a structure in themselves.
This requires construction workers with extensive knowledge and experience relating to foundation piling. These buildings need to be constructed to last indefinitely so must be designed to bear an enormous weight. Before foundation piling work begins, a Geotechnical engineer will analyse the area where the structure will be built. If ground conditions are poor, then the foundations will need to be laid deep into the ground.
Even with all planning avenues explored, there can often be unforeseen issues after foundation piling work has begun. This is when construction workers will need to use their extensive piling knowledge in order to find solutions to these problems.
Amendments to the Piling Rig Certification intend to avoid construction accidents
Accidents at work are never exactly a cause for celebration but accidents which occur on construction sites can be particularly serious, with fatalities not being unheard of. Not only do such incidents cause emotional stress and anxiety for those who work for the company, but they also have a detrimental effect on the company’s bank balance. Construction businesses who experience serious accidents will incur heavy fines.
In order to avoid accidents, such as the collapse of a piling rig, there have been revisions made to the platform certificate, which is an integral part of ensuring the stability of a piling rig. Although getting a certificate is not mandatory, it is now considered industry best practice. It is not the end of the responsibility of the contractor however, as the construction site needs to be constantly monitored to ensure ongoing safety of the workers. The ground does not always stay in the same condition during a project so if there is evidence of any changes to the stability of a piling rig, work should be stopped immediately and the situation assessed before work continues.
House Builders Association dispute Rise in Planning Application Fees
The government has been met with opposition from the House Builders Association (HBA) over the proposal to increase planning application fees for new construction projects. The HBA has queried the fact that initial measures are not being put in place by local authorities to reduce costs before fees are increases. The priority is supposedly to cut costs but this is not reflected in this new proposal.
The HBA fear that because some local authorities already profit from their planning service, charging others who are inefficient can only result in nurturing a culture of laziness and complacency which is unacceptable, particularly in today’s climate.
The HBA have put forward some recommendations as an alternative to the planning application fees proposal. Firstly, before they can even consider raising fees, local authorities must be forced to reduce costs. “Free riders” should be obligated to pay any further fees that are outside the remit of construction workers. Finally, under no circumstances should fees be increased for house building applications made for two or more homes.
The HBA stress that the government should rethink the proposal as they have already acknowledged that the cost of planning and many other factors are a heavy burden on house builders. The government need to prove that they really are committed to reducing regulation costs, as that is what they promote.