Screw Pile Foundations in York Region
Tyler Gaetan installs Postech screw piles, also called helical piles, across York Region. Before taking on the dealership he spent seven years building commercial recreation centres and Olympic-size pools, work that does not forgive a foundation set slightly out of position.
The ground changes as you go north
The south end of the region is heavy clay. Head north toward Newmarket and East Gwillimbury and you get more sand and a higher water table, which is where conventional footings start to move.
Vaughan has its own wrinkle. New decks and porches there are often not permitted to attach to the house with a ledger board, so the structure has to stand on its own. Tyler builds those free-standing on helical piles.
More than the piles
Most pile installers stop at the pile. Tyler's crew also handles excavation, demolition, retaining walls and shoring, and he holds a crane operator ticket. When footings have failed under something already standing, that means one crew instead of three.
That is what a deck in Newmarket needed. The concrete supports had heaved with the water table, under a deck sitting eight to nine feet above grade. The crew shored the deck in place, pulled the old concrete, and set helical piles in the same positions.
Timing
Most jobs run seven to ten days from first call to piles in the ground. When a contractor is in a bind, engineering and installation can sometimes be pushed through in 24 to 48 hours. Installs continue to Christmas and start again in mid-January.
Decks, additions, ADUs and garden suites, commercial work, foundation repair. It is a family operation, and Tyler answers the phone himself. Call, or send a few photos of the site.