Drilled piers vs. auger cast piles

[Josh Harvey]

Is there much of a cost savings by switching from drilled piers to auger cast piles?

 

[jayrod12]

A question that is too dependent on Locale. Where I practice, no one does augercast. One province over, that's almost all they install.

Your best bet would be to call foundation contractors in the area to get a feel for what they want.

 

[JedClampett]

All things being equal, Augercast are less expensive:
[ul]
[li]No inspection of the bored hole.[/li]
[li]One step installation. The grout in injected in the auger as it's being withdrawn.[/li]
[li]Typically smaller sections.[/li]
[li]Less reinforcing.[/li]
[li]Quicker installation. These guys are in and out. [/li]
[/ul]However, the third and fourth bullets might mean more piles required. I've used them all, and Augercast is my preference. The fact that the GC is less likely to self perform (due to lack of specialized equipment) is a big advantage.
Augercast can't be used everywhere, just like drilled piers. Check with your Geotechnical Engineer.

 

[ATSE]

If you can drill a shallow, small diameter pier (say, 2.0 ft and less than 25 ft deep) with an open hole and no casing, it is hard for any fndn system to compete with that.
Otherwise, if you have an experienced specialty contractor nearby with a lot of ACIP experience, ACIP should be considered. If below the groundwater table, ACIP becomes even more competitive.