Our ground screw foundation system has received CodeMark™
The StopDigging ground screw foundation system CodeMark certifies the ground screw and the foundation system, the method of design, and installation.
CodeMark covers the use of the system,
• for all buildings, and
• located in all exposure zones; where situated within 500 m of the sea, including harbors, or 100 m from tidal estuaries or sheltered inlets, the ground screws must be protected by enclosing the space or applying a protective coating.
There are two design options.
1. Relying on the pre-engineered (design & test) load tables for building within the design scope of NZS 3604 or the NASH standard for lightweight steel framing. The placement of ground screws follows typical NZS 3604 placements.
2. Engineer calculation of design and test loads and placement of ground screws.
Installation is the same irrespective of the design method.
Our CodeMark certification is a powerful consenting tool in NZ.
When building to 3604, WE DO NOT require a geotechnical report to verify our foundation, and WE DO NOT require a structural engineer’s PS1 / PS4.
We also DO NOT need 3604 ‘good’ ground to use our ground screw foundation system. Only in a zone designated as medium or high risk of liquefaction or sloping sites with stability issues would we and the council require a geotechnical report, and then our foundation design would take these details into account.
The traditional method of senton piles in concrete will require a geotechnical investigation report to confirm good ground in all cases. If conditions are not ‘good’ (3604), a structural engineer PS1 / PS4 package is also required for foundation design.
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Efficient, solid, and straightforward
Unless the site is in a designated High or Medium risk of liquefaction or is on a slope with ground stability issues, we do not require a geotechnical report or any involvement from a structural engineer for a foundation within NZ3604. Therefore, in most cases, already at least $3000 cheaper than any other foundation option before we have even started.
Secondly, the consent process in terms of documentation is much quicker and easier as the designer does not need to wait for Geotech engineering and structural engineering reports.
Our CodeMark certificate enables all consent applications to be straightforward for both the designer to specify and the BCA to process. It is also legally mandatory for the council to accept. Then from an installation point of view, we have a simple 2 stage process where we provide on-site pile testing to confirm a formal fixed price quotation, followed by a foundation installation that is complete in hours – not days.
Contact any StopDigging Region Partner to discuss details and download a copy of our Design Guide.
Save 1000 of dollars and plenty of time!
A typical Geotech report for a single house platform is $3000 at least. A typical structural engineer’s PS1 / PS4 package is around $1000 for a small unit.
The installation of senton piles requires excavation and a site inspection by the engineer and the building inspector. Both of which have a cost. Once the concrete is poured, piles need to be cut to height with the waste removed from the site, along with spoil from excavations and the inevitable mess from a concrete pour.
The best case of this traditional method will take a minimum of 2 days to be ready to land a building or commence subfloor framing. With inevitable delays around weather etc., this could be many days or weeks. A method that is wasteful, slow, and expensive.
