Screw Pile Guides & Updates
Straightforward reading on screw piles, foundation upkeep and building in the Calgary area, written by Chinook Screw Piles. Useful before you hire anyone, us included.
What Are Screw Piles? A Plain Guide
Screw piles, helical piles, helical piers: one product, three names. How a screw pile foundation works, its lifespan, and where it gets used.
Screw Piles for Fence and 6×6 Posts
How Calgary clay heaves fence and pergola posts, when a screw pile earns its place over concrete, and the brackets that hold 4×4 and 6×6 timber.
What Is Torque Monitoring, and How Much Weight Can a Screw Pile Support?
How installation torque correlates to bearing capacity, letting each helical screw pile prove its load, and what records to request from your installer.
Calgary Clay, Cochrane Till, Canmore Bedrock: How the Ground Shapes a Screw Pile Foundation
Four soil types inside an hour of Calgary, what each does to a screw pile, and why measured torque beats a fixed depth spec every time.
Deck Permit Calgary: Do You Need One?
Deck height and whether it's attached to the house usually decide it, and each municipality sets its own rules. Here's how to check before you build.
How Many Screw Piles Does a Deck Need?
Beam span and load set your screw pile count, not square footage alone. Planning ranges by deck size and the factors that push the number up or down.
Can You Install Screw Piles in Winter?
Frozen ground doesn't stop screw pile installation, and winter is often the easiest season to book. What's different, and why December suits a quote.
Can You Install Screw Piles Yourself? It Depends
Sheds and low freestanding decks: often fine. Anything tied to your house: no. The dividing line is torque verification, not trade protectionism.
Does Home Depot Sell Screw Piles? (And Are They Enough for Calgary?)
Yes — Pylex foundation screws are stocked in store. Which jobs they handle well, and the Calgary frost reason they often fall short.
Bowing Basement Walls: Why They Push In and the Ways to Stop Them
What pushes a Calgary basement wall inward, when the bow matters, and a candid look at four repair methods — two of which we don't offer.
Concrete Footings, Piles and Piers: A Plain Guide to Foundation Terms
Footing, pier, pile, caisson, grade beam: five terms, five different things. What each does and which one suits your project in Calgary.
Deck Blocks vs Screw Piles in Calgary: When Blocks Hold and When They Heave
Deck blocks rest on the surface, and Calgary's surface soil moves. When blocks are fine, when they aren't, and when a screw pile is the better deck foundation.
The Real Downsides of Screw Piles
Cobbles and bedrock, the need for engineering, corrosion, and jobs where screw piles are simply the wrong call — straight from a screw pile installer.
Sonotubes in Calgary: The Real Cost of a Poured Deck Footing
A cardboard form, bagged mix and a hole under the frost line. The tube is cheap; the true cost of a poured footing lies elsewhere. A fair tally.
Screw Piles vs Concrete: An Honest Cost Comparison
Concrete wins on materials. Add digging, spoil hauling and cure time and screw piles often close the gap, though concrete is still right for some jobs.
How Deep Do Screw Piles Go in Alberta?
Why a Calgary screw pile is finished when installation torque says so: frost, bearing soil, and the records that prove your foundation is deep enough.