Piling can be critical to support a large structure. However, most contractors can't handle this step on their own. If you are in the midst of planning a big project and you are hiring someone to do the piling you may wonder what's involved. The process can vary slightly depending on the size of your building and the exact material you choose for the piling, but in most cases, you should expect the following steps.

1. Setting up the Rig

First, the piling rig needs to be in place. As the main contractor on the project, you need to ensure that there is room for the rig. In most cases, piling rigs on are tracks so they can easily manoeuvre around undeveloped sites. Ask the piling contractor how much space they need to set up, and to avoid delays, make sure that's available when they arrive.

2. Drilling and Casing Insertion

Once the piling rig is in place, it starts to drill into the hole. If you are worried about potential hazards or impediments, you may want to do a core sample before you start the work. That way, both you and the piling rig operator know what to expect. For example, if there is asbestos in the ground, you can keep the soil wet through the process so it doesn't fly into the air.

3. Placing the Steel Reinforcement

Generally, a crane must put in the steel reinforcement. So again, there must be room for that to manoeuvre around your site. To keep costs low, you should try to hire a piling contractor who has a crane available. That way you don't have to hire a crane just for this step.

4. Pouring the Concrete The steel casing keeps the hole from collapsing in on itself, but to permanently reinforce the hole, you need to pour in concrete. This needs to be timed perfectly. You don't want to pay a concrete truck to sit there idling all day waiting to pour in the concrete. To ensure everything goes smoothly, you may want to hire a piling company that offers a project manager to help keep things on track.

5. Taking Out the Casing

Once the concrete sets, the piling rig needs to come back and remove the casing. Ideally, you need a storage place for the casing. You also need expert concrete people on site so they can ensure that the concrete sets correctly.

For more information, contact companies like The Jetty Specialist.