General guidance only — all construction work must be overseen by a supervising engineer This handbook is compiled from standards and laws with every source cited, andis being reviewed for certification by engineers Use it to know what to look at, what to ask and what evidence to request on site It is not an engineering determination and can't replace an engineer · Terms of use · Limitations of the handbook

Piles and foundations

When there's a problem — cracked piles, piles that won't go down, splicing and followers

Page code P02-07 · 19 inspection criteria · 1 illustrations

On the day a pile breaks or won't go down, everyone pushes for a quick decision because the pile rig is hired by the day. If you don't know what options the standards allow, you'll be led down the route that's convenient for the contractor, not the one that's safe for the house. The good news is that the standards set out the options…

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Pile cracked during driving — there are 3 options, and every one requires testing
Several broken piles — the 10%-of-the-group criterion
Pile won't go down, or goes unusually deep
Using a follower — there are length limits
Splicing piles — in some cases splicing is strictly forbidden
Common mistakes

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