Metal anchors

[bolst3r]

Building a garden office which is about 12m2 and I would rather avoid creating a solid concrete slab as it's quite a lot of muck going into the ground and for various reasons isn't the most practical. Whilst investigating alternative methods I came across a suggestion of digging and installing concrete piles capping off with adjustable metal anchors which are inserted into the piles before they set. I figured this was quite a good idea and probably quite a bit cheaper than the Swift plinth solution (http://www.swiftfoundations.co.uk/swift_mini_plinth.php) which @ £65 a pop seems mighty expensive. I've searched and can't seem to find these metal anchors... Anyone know of a product or cheaper alternative to the swift solution?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Why can't you do concrete?

 

[JohnD]

do you mean metal post supports? they are available as cast-in or bolt-down

 

[bolst3r]

ok, answered part of my own question... found these two products:

http://www.canopyproducts.co.uk/product.php?hdnProductID=207

and simpson strong tie do a similar product which I expect is just as expensive...

http://www.strongtie.co.uk/products/type.php?typeID=73&familyID=9

Am I fighting a losing battle looking for a cost-effective base system or a way to suspend my timber frame?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p82691?gclid=CIyY6JPT77YCFVDMtAodwnAAeg
or
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p75498?gclid=CNzlwbzT77YCFZLKtAodp0EAaA

 

[bolst3r]

Thanks for the links, although i'm looking for something with a little more flexibility. I'm hoping to fix a bracket into a pile then one my timbers are attached use an adjuster to level everything up. So like this bracket below..

Untitled

• bolst3r
• 14 Jun 2013
• 1

 

[bolst3r]

I've found the above bracket online here :http://www.hisltd.co.uk/Elevated-Post-Base-Adjustable.html however at £40 a bracket makes for an expensive base, especially when i'll need 8-10 of them...

 

[john4703]

If you want a cheap solution why not simply cast a length of studding, say 12mm in the concrete and make sure you get all the tops exactly level. In that case one hole in the timber and a bot on top would hold it all down. It is not difficult to get the tops of shuttering exactly level. If you bend the bottom of the studding into a U shape it will never lift out once the concrete is set. A very simple wooden form will hold it in place until the concrete sets.

 

[JohnD]

the timber needs to be spaced off the top of the concrete due to damp transmission and rot. If the concrete pads extend 150mm above ground level it will give protection from water splash during rain. You could do that with metal legs if you prefer. Bolt-down supports might be easier to fit and level than cast-in supports.

For my car port I put in concrete pads, with the tops extended above the ground using wooden formwork (that also makes the exposed concrete look neater) and levelled to give square pads. I rested the metal supports on these when fresh and tapped in wooden dowels through the bolt holes that were removed after setting. In my structure the posts were supported and restrained by the pads, and the rest of the structure (including the toolshed at the end) is bolted to and supported by the posts. It doesn't actually matter if the pads are not level, since the structure bolted to the posts will be levelled and if necessary you can cut a bit off the top of a post. The posts are the only structural part close to the damp ground, so ends are soaked in preservative before assembly.

If I ever get bored with it I can undo the bolt-down supports more easily than cutting off cast-in supports.

 

[bolst3r]

Hi Johnd,

So am I getting this correct, you used post fixed into a bracket like the one below set in a concrete pad?

I guess then I just cut some short lengths of post which will be fixed in the bracket then bolt my frame onto of this post. I could always sandwich a layer of damproof membrane between the two then i'll have extra protection against damp...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...m7UabNJemo0QXx5YCoCw&ved=0CHEQ9QEwAw&dur=2239

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Just build some piers up in brick to the right level and sit your timber on them with a bit of dpm in between. Its how every suspended timber floor is built.