Driven pile solutions installed by us across the Southeast.

Palmetto has performed projects involving the installation of 10 piles for an addition to a residence, 4,000+ piles for the construction of a power plant, and everything in between. We’re happy to review and let you know quickly if the project fits current equipment availability. While most of our work falls within the South Carolina border, we routinely install foundations in the coastal Georgia and North Carolina markets, too.

We typically request a geotech report, civil/topo, and structural foundation plan. We’ve provided budget estimates based on back-of-napkin sketches. Send us what you’ve got, and we’ll qualify the estimate accordingly.

Given our prestressed concrete pile design and manufacturing capacity, many of our projects incorporate design responsibility at some level. While we are often asked to participate in the design process at various stages of project development, we find we can be most effective – and produce the greatest value – on prestressed concrete pile projects when we’re involved during the initial foundation design. We’ve routinely been involved in value engineering programs that reduce pile counts by 10 to 20% and provide significant savings on the building’s foundation cost.

Palmetto has a rigorous in-house quality control program built around the casting and quality control standards provided by the Precast Concrete Institute. An independent, third-party inspector provides review of the casting and quality control records at two-week intervals during production.

Concrete cylinders, used to determine concrete strength, are tested by an accredited, independent, third-party testing lab for seven-day and 28-day strength tests. Reports are provided as required by project. If requested, test reports can be provided directly to the GC/owner by the third-party lab.

Pile capacity is typically tested by jacking the pile against a reaction (load test frame, dead weight, reaction piles, etc.). We can think of every hammer blow as a miniature load test. With each hammer blow, we apply weight and the pile moves. This data can be used to correlate pile capacity and verify driving data against the test pile program performed at the beginning of the project.

While drilled products must rely on the field crew to install product in the same manner as those installed during the test pile program, a driven pile is typically observed and blow counts recorded throughout the installation process. Feedback is immediate. If the pile was damaged during transport or installation, inspection and/or drive logs will typically tell the story.

Vibration concerns are one of the most common questions raised about pile driving, and the Pile Driving Contractors Association continues to support ongoing research to address this topic clearly and definitively. Historically, pile driving has been performed near structures of many ages, conditions, and foundation types without aesthetic or structural damage. Research and field experience consistently show that vibration levels produced during pile installation are typically well below those required to damage buildings.

It is also important to note that humans can perceive vibration at levels far lower than those that would pose any risk to adjacent structures. When needed, contractors can implement methods to reduce vibration, and third-party monitoring programs are available to measure vibration levels throughout the installation process. In most cases, the short-term inconvenience of pile driving activity is outweighed by the long-term performance, quality control, and load capacity that driven piles provide.

When installing displacement piles, such as PSC or timber piles, it is important to consider the potential for soil movement near existing structures. In these cases, contractors can use proven techniques such as predrilling, adjusting pile spacing, or selecting non-displacement pile types (such as H-piles) in sensitive areas. These mitigation measures are always soil- and site-specific, and are commonly incorporated into project planning where adjacent structures are present.

It is also important to note that this concern is not unique to pile driving. Any deep foundation or ground improvement method that displaces soil – including drilled displacement piles, aggregate piers, or vibratory installation systems – must similarly evaluate the potential for ground movement or settlement and implement appropriate controls.

In short, managing soil displacement is a standard consideration across most deep foundation and ground improvement installations, and effective mitigation strategies are widely available.