FAQs

Ground screws are engineered steel foundations with helical blades that twist into the soil, creating an instant, secure anchor point. They replace the need for concrete foundations and are suitable for a wide range of domestic and light commercial projects.

Our ground screws are hot-dip galvanised to BS EN 1461:2009 and CE-approved with a 20-year product guarantee. With proper installation, they’re built to last well beyond that.

Ground screws offer exceptional load-bearing capacity for their size. The exact capacity depends on the screw size, length, and your ground conditions – our team can advise on the right product for your specific load requirements.

In most cases, yes. Ground screws eliminate the costs of excavation, spoil removal, skip hire, concrete, and multiple site visits. For trade projects, savings of up to 37% compared to concrete are typical.

Yes. Ground screws produce around 60% less CO2 than concrete foundations. There’s no excavation, no waste, and no contamination risk. They’re also fully reversible – remove them and the site returns to its original condition.

Yes. Our DIY ground screw range is designed for self-installation using a hand ratchet tool. We provide full installation instructions, and our team is available by phone if you need advice. We also offer a trial kit so you can test the product in your own ground before committing.

Yes. Ground screws can be installed in any weather and any season – including rain, cold, and waterlogged conditions that would delay or prevent a concrete pour.

Yes. Each ground screw is installed individually and can be set at a different depth, then levelled at the head. This makes them ideal for sloping or uneven sites without the need for earthworks or retaining structures.

Yes. Ground screws are fully reversible. They can be unscrewed from the ground cleanly, leaving no trace, and reused in a different location.

Most domestic installations are completed within a few hours, including fitting the structural timber base. There’s no curing time, so your build starts the same day.

Ground screws are used for garden rooms, decking, sheds, annexes, extensions, fencing, pergolas, event structures, solar arrays, signage, modular buildings, classrooms, and more. If you’re unsure whether ground screws suit your project, get in touch, and we’ll advise.

In most cases, ground screw foundations for domestic structures like garden rooms, sheds, and decking don’t require planning permission. However, habitable structures such as annexes may need building control approval. We provide compression load testing and reports for building control where required.

Ground screws perform well across a wide range of soil types – including clay, sand, peat, and rocky ground. If you’re unsure about your ground conditions, our trial kit lets you test the product on your site, or we can carry out a site assessment.

Helical screw piles are high-capacity, engineered steel foundations consisting of tubular shafts with precisely welded helical plates. They’re machine-installed using excavators with calibrated torque monitoring and are designed for larger-scale commercial and infrastructure projects.

Both are screw-based foundation systems, but they serve different scales of project and work differently. Ground screws are smaller and can be installed by hand or with lightweight machinery – ideal for domestic and light commercial work. Helical screw piles are larger, machine-installed, and engineered for heavier loads and commercial infrastructure. Both are instantly load-bearing with no concrete required.

We carry standard stock sizes – 76R, 89R, 114R, and 140R – for rapid dispatch. We also design and manufacture bespoke helical screw piles to order, adjusting shaft diameter, helix configuration, length, and capacity to match your engineering specification.

All helical screw piles are manufactured to EN 10025 (structural steel), EN 10210/EN 10219 (structural hollow sections), ISO 3834 (welding quality), EN ISO 1461 (hot-dip galvanising), EN 1090-1 (CE/UKCA conformity), and EN 1090-2 (execution class EXC2 or EXC3 as applicable).

Our helical screw piles are engineered for a design life of up to 100 years.

Yes. Unlike ground screws, helical screw piles require machine installation using a tracked machine or excavator fitted with a rotary torque driver and integrated torque monitoring system. This is carried out by our trained, in-house installation teams.

Every helical screw pile we install is monitored with fully calibrated torque equipment. You receive a comprehensive torque pile log for each pile recording installation torque, depth, pile identification, and performance data. We also provide certified load capacity reports generated through deep foundation software.

Yes. Calibrated torque monitoring is standard on every helical screw pile we install – it’s included in the service, not an optional extra.

In most cases, our load testing is carried out as part of the installation service. However, if you need a standalone test to verify ground conditions before committing, get in touch, and we can discuss your requirements.

Helical screw piles are used for modular buildings, residential houses, bridges and walkways, rail gantries, telecommunications towers, BESS and data centres, solar farms, retaining walls, underpinning, and more. They’re also specified for environmentally sensitive sites, contaminated land, and locations with tree preservation orders.

Yes. Our helical screw piles handle substantial compression, tensile, and shear loads, making them suitable for residential construction, including two-storey homes. Every pile is machine-installed with calibrated torque monitoring, producing verified data for structural engineer and building control sign-off.

Yes. There’s no excavation to disturb or spread contaminated material, and no concrete to introduce into the ground. This makes helical screw piles well-suited to brownfield and formerly industrial sites.

Yes. Our installation teams operate across the UK, and we deliver ground screws and helical screw piles nationwide with next-working-day delivery available.

Yes. Trade accounts include competitive discounts, access to our commercial product range, next-working-day delivery, easy online reordering, and dedicated technical support.

Yes. We offer hands-on installation training for both ground screws and helical screw piles, delivered by our experienced installation team at our Midlands facility or on your site.

Yes. We work directly with your structural engineer to develop a foundation design that meets their load requirements. We provide the design expertise and installation data – your engineer retains full design authority.