Post and Piers

[ForrU2Cry]

I wanted to know if it was possible to make your own piers. Are there certain specifications, in which you need to follow? The idea was to possibly buy the hangers and use old oil buckets and have cylinder piers. We will be having a cement truck in and was wanting to know if this option is possible.

Thank you for any knowledge or specs
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[Hotzcatz]

Draw it in your plans and see if the Building Department will approve it. It's probably a question of if your engineer or architect will sign off on it. I would suspect the Building Department would prefer to see standard pier blocks and/or an engineer's stamp. If you made them in the same size and shape of the standard pier block, then there probably wouldn't be any discussion about them.

[gtill]

There's a possible solution called "Fast Form", and specifically "Fastbag".
Try castleblock.com, and ask the sales guys if it will pass Bldg dept.
It looks really good!

[pslamont]

All 56 of our piers were custom made. The building department liked them just fine. We build frames out of yucky wood we got from the scrap heap at Honsador. Depends on what you are building on/in. We have very deep soil, so our piers are each about 36 inches square and a foot tall base, then a 4x4 or maybe 6x6 raised middle and the plate is mounted on that...

Feel free to be in touch and come see them. The Architect just included them in the plans. There were so many that we had them poured when we had the cement floor of the garage poured and it was great.

Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[Kapohocat]

The Bldg dept does approve poured in place cylindrical piers.

I dont know if the bucket size will be big enough to be approved but your architect can specify what size you need as HC said. Some people use Sonatubes for their piers and buy the required hangers to set when they are pouring the concrete piers.

If you live where the tidal wash (of a hurricane or tsunami or just large waves) might be a problem, the cylindrical piers are a better shape for the water to flow past, rather than against. The round shape provides less resistance to the force of the water than a flat surface would.

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 965-9261
"We help make building your dream home a reality"

[ForrU2Cry]

We live in EdenRock and are building on a graded rock bed. We have our corner forms set and ready for cement. We were wanting a stronger form for the house, and are wanting the cylinder shape, easier to climb underneath without being scratched by the square piers and would be cheaper since we will have a cement truck in.
Do you have to have any rebarr in the piers?

[MarkP]

Aloha ForrU2Cry:

Where is your property?

I have property on Rd 8 (Ahi Ave), near Palainui.

MarkP

[ForrU2Cry]

We reside on road #20 Mahina St

[Rob Tucker]

You do need rebar in piers - at least every approved plan I have ever handled called for rebar in the piers.

There is a low cost fabric forming method for forming columns. It is called Fast Tube and Pahoa Hardware carries it in 8", 10" & 12" diameters. It can be purchased by the foot.