Strong Foundations

Fast & Hassle Free

We design and install off-site manufactured screw pile foundations for home and commercial projects across London and the South East.

For Homeowners

Simple, safe and affordable foundations with minimal dilution.

For Commercial Clients

Engineered substructures for reliability and compliance.

Minimal Disruption

Faster Install than Concrete

high quality

Cost-Effective & Reliable

Guaranteed Stability

Screw Pile Foundation Installation

Featured Projects

screw pile underpinning

Screw Pile Underpinning to Stabilise Subsidence in North London

restricted access piling

Restricted Access Piling for a Rear Extension in London

large pile install

Large Capacity Screw Pile Installation for Industrial Project in the South East

root protection zone

Root Protection Zone Foundations for a Garden Room in Surrey

house extension in clay soil

Piled Foundation Solution for High Heave Clay Soil in Surrey

Restricted Access Screw Pile Installation in Ealing

What are Preformed Substructures?

Preformed Substructures are a modern method of construction that uses off site manufacturing to ensure the quality of complex structural reinforced concrete components. Similar to pre-cast methods but without the heavy haulage and lifting requirements. Its combined with the GoliathTech screw / helical piles to provide a super efficient and superior foundation system ideal for heavy duty loadings even in poor ground conditions and can be deployed through access as narrow as a single doorway.

They are well-suited for new builds, extensions underpins, restricted access, projects with TPOs (tree protection orders) or root protection zones, passive house projects, piers, garden rooms, solar projects, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), prefabricated buildings and more.

We can install high capacity screw / helical piles which can support loads up to 300kN even through access as narrow as a doorway. This is a superior alternative to traditional concrete methods. Which can still be used to support heavy structures such as traditional brick and block construction.

GET IN TOUCH

Our Process

Stage 1 – Site visit

Meet the client on site and share our helical pile knowledge and potential value engineering options. We carry out a survey using specialist measuring equipment to get accurate quantities

Stage 2 – Design

Use our specialist 3D design software with our construction knowledge to detail a preformed foundation system utilising a screw pile system that can be assembled on site as efficiently as possible

Stage 3 – Offsite Manufacture

Assemble the ground beams in our off site manufacturing facility using the 3D design and rigorous quality assurance process

Stage 4 – Site Installation

Our fully trained site team will install the GoliathTech screw piling system and the ground beams to the 3D design using the digital quality assurance process.
Taking as little as 1 day to complete a whole house extension

Stage 5 – Handover

Present client with full handover documentation for reference by building control

Screw Pile Installation Coverage Area

Our helical pile installation service covers the following areas shaded in the map, including but not limited to:

Greater London – Hertfordshire – Surrey – Kent – East Sussex – West Sussex

Unsure if your area is covered? Get in touch

screw pile installation coverage map
screw pile installation coverage map

Screw Pile Supply & Installation UK

Testimonials

He and his team are an absolute pleasure to work with. I wholeheartedly recommend Chris and his team on any job, large or small, going forward

Amit – Google Review

We would highly recommend this company for any of your groundwork needs

Kelvin Price – Google Review

Chris and the team at Preformed Substructures completed a complex screw pile foundation installation for our house extension in Surrey. An excellent job considering the very difficult ground conditions for the build

Matthew P. – Email Review

Screw Pile FAQs

Screw piles (also called helical piles) are steel foundation columns with one or more helical plates welded to the shaft. 

They are installed using a hydraulically powered motor to wind the screw pile into the ground rather than being hammered, excavated or poured, which means no concrete, no spoil removal, and no waiting for anything to cure.

This installation method makes screw piles more suited to some specialist applications such as house extensions, restricted access sites, root protection (TPO) zones, solar farms and more.

There is a correlation between the torque resistance on the helix plate and the pile’s load capacity, which our specialist equipment can measure in real time, ensuring every pile we install meets the design requirements.

We use the GoliathTech helical pile system, which has a lifetime warranty,  is NHBC accepted and ISO9001 compliant, and can be installed through access as narrow as a standard doorway. 

All projects are bespoke with many combinations of pile components available to provide the most efficient and cost-effective solution possible.  When you factor in the savings on attendances, our fast installation time, no excavation, no concrete, muck away, and the curing period that concrete foundations require, screw piles are often far more cost-competitive or cheaper overall, particularly on clay soils, restricted access sites, or anywhere with poor ground conditions.

We provide free, no-obligation quotes based on your specific project – get in touch to discuss.

Helical piles are designed to last the lifetime of the structure above them. Our GoliathTech steel piles are hot-dip galvanised for long-term corrosion resistance, and in the soil conditions typical of London and the South East, they will outlast the building they support.

On sites with particularly aggressive ground chemistry (high sulphate or chloride content), additional protective coatings can be specified at the design stage.

The GoliathTech system we install can achieve working loads of up to 1066.5kN per pile with a factor of safety of 2. However for most applications 155kN is sufficient with the addition of a few more piles. That’s sufficient for heavy traditional brick and block construction, not just lightweight structures. 

We can provide the full structural design suitable to provide the foundations for any  application.

Absolutely,  for  projects in London and the South East, they often provide a more practical and efficient solution given the access and ground conditions. Screw piles are engineered to a specific load and verified during installation. They’re ready to build off immediately: no concrete trucks, no curing period, no 28-day wait.

Our screw pile installation equipment fits through a 700mm gap, making screw piles the only viable piled option on many urban and terraced sites where a concrete plant simply can’t reach. For very high commercial loads, both systems are viable, and the right choice depends on site conditions, access, and programme.

Yes, and this is one of their main advantages across SE England. London Clay is one of the most common conditions we work in: its shrink-swell behaviour and heave risk make it a poor candidate for shallow strip foundations, but screw piles are driven below the active clay zone to reach stable bearing strata, eliminating the heave risk.

Chalk is generally competent but variable near the surface. Our piles are designed to reach the required depth regardless. Made ground, waterlogged sites, and loose or sandy soils can all be assessed individually – get in touch with your ground conditions and we’ll advise.

A formal ground investigation isn’t always a legal requirement, but some warranty providers, building control, and structural engineers will typically want borehole or trial pit data before producing a foundation design.

Because we are able to confirm the piles load capacity in real time during installation with our specialist equipment, we would recommend a test pile instead of a borehole survey. We can analyse the installation data and optimise the final pile design to provide the most efficient solution precisely for your project. The test piles can be incorporated into the permanent works design, which offsets their installation cost. 

Yes, and it’s one of the most effective applications of the system. Because the screw pile is ready to accept the full design load as soon as it is installed, there is far less risk associated with having a foundation unsupported for a period of time.

Traditional mass concrete underpinning involves extensive excavation beneath an existing structure, usually in sections, in a non-linear work sequence and can result in weeks of mess, noise and disruption in a live building.

Screw pile underpinning transfers the load via Goliathtech’s expertly designed proprietary underpinning bracket, with minimal excavation and minimal disruption.

Yes. Screw pile installations fall under Part A of the Building Regulations and require Building Control sign-off. 

Using the GolaithTech system exclusively, we are NHBC approved, demonstrating our compliance with these regulations.

We can produce the foundation design and calculations as part of the Building Regulations application, as well as the full installation records on completion. These form part of the compliance documentation package submitted to Building Control, and are important for your records if you sell the property in future.

It depends on site conditions but we would generally expect most domestic projects like a typical rear or side home extension to be completed within 4-5 days, including the excavation and reinforced concrete ground beams. 

Compare that to mini piling, which requires the installation and removal of a temporary piling mat for the rig to work on. Then before the ground beam work can commence the piles will have to be cured before they can be broken down to the cut-off level.

 The speed of installation is one of the main reasons contractors choose screw piles on time-sensitive projects, particularly when ground conditions or access would make concrete foundations a slow and disruptive process.

Every pile is monitored throughout installation using a calibrated torque measurement system. There is a well-established and industry-accepted relationship between installation torque and load-bearing capacity, so the installation process itself acts as a continuous proof test for every pile.

If the required torque isn’t achieved at the expected depth, the pile is driven deeper until it is. We provide a full torque log on completion. Where a structural engineer requires additional assurance, a static load test can be carried out on a nominated pile after installation.

We supply and install preformed concrete ground beams as part of a complete foundation package, spanning between the pile heads and providing an immediate build platform for your contractor. This means your builder can start the moment we leave the site.

For timber frame, modular, or raised platform structures, a direct steel connection to the pile cap is possible without a concrete beam. We’ll advise on the right solution for your structure and ground conditions during the design stage, we can even design and fabricate solutions for a direct connection to your structure.

We’re specialist screw pile foundation installers with over 20 years of experience in groundworks and reinforced concrete across London and the South East. That experience isn’t just in domestic extensions: it includes high-profile civil engineering projects in the nuclear industry, and the quality standards from that work are built into everything we do.

We use the GoliathTech helical pile system, which is NHBC accepted and ISO9001 compliant, and we supply a complete foundation package including preformed concrete ground beams, so your contractor can start building the moment we leave the site. There’s no need to coordinate separate trades or wait on concrete deliveries.

We cover London, Surrey, Kent, Hertfordshire, East Sussex, and West Sussex, and we work directly with homeowners, architects, structural engineers, and main contractors. Whatever the scale of your project, we’ll assess the job honestly and tell you upfront if screw piles are the right solution.

Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote.