Driven piles vs bored piles: what's the difference, and which stops your house sinking without affecting the neighbours

When you build a new house or extend, the most important thing you can't overlook is Foundations . If you choose the wrong type of pile for the site, you risk not only the house settling in the future but also cracking the neighbouring houses and causing big trouble. The question every homeowner faces is what is the difference between driven piles and bored piles, and which should you choose? Here is an easy-to-understand summary.

Driven piles vs bored piles

Driven piles are precast concrete piles made in a factory and driven into the ground with a pile driver to the required depth. They're cheaper, quick to install and you can be sure of the concrete quality, but the big drawback is that they cause very strong vibration during driving, and the soil shifts and pushes on the surrounding area, so they suit open sites reasonably far from other buildings.

Bored piles are made by drilling a deep hole of the designed size with a machine, inserting a reinforcing cage, then pouring concrete to cast the pile in the ground. The advantage is very little vibration and no soil movement pushing on nearby buildings, which makes them ideal for building in housing estates, extensions close to an existing house, or narrow sites a large pile-driving rig can't reach. The downside is that they cost more and need skilled, careful workmanship.

A 4-point checklist for choosing the right piles

• Consider the distance to your neighbours: if the site is less than 30-50 metres from other buildings, choose bored piles to reduce the risk of cracking the neighbours' houses
• Check the site size and access: in a narrow lane, or for a back extension a pile-driving rig can't reach, choose dry-process bored piles or micro piles
• Check your budget: on a large empty plot in the provinces, driven piles can save more than 30-50% on foundation costs
• Type of use: small, structurally separate extensions may use hexagonal piles, but for heavy extensions or the main house, choose only bored piles or long driven piles that reach the hard soil layer

Safety warning: Foundations are the main structural work, affecting the safety of lives and property. Before starting construction or choosing piles, you must get advice and engineering calculations from a qualified civil engineer only. Never change the pile type or downgrade the specification yourself, to prevent the house settling or the structure failing in the long term.