How To Set Up Concrete Piers

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By Luisa Sharpe


One of the best ways to increase your living space and enhance the beauty of your home is through construction of a backyard deck. When creating a backyard deck, you may need to first install a foundation pier. There are various materials used for constructing piers one of which is concrete. Constructing concrete piers requires a contractor to follow various steps to get their work done well.

When installing a pier, you would need to dig a trench that meets the building specifications of such structures. The best size estimate should be at least deeper than the frost line by twelve inches and wider than the footings. Once you are through with digging the trench, you would need to set the firm plastic footings and the waxed fiber tubes of the pier together. The footing is used to avoid the sinking of such piers.

After the digging work, you should then set the tubes and footings into the trench. These two should be set well to avoid problems that may result from poor setting. The footings should also be examined to determine whether they are in line with the local building codes within your area.

After installing the tubes and the footings, you would also have to fill the trench with some stones to make the pier stronger. You should also make sure that the footing and the pier lie at the same position. The reason for doing this is to reduce the potential problems that would result from poor alignment.

Afterwards, you would need to set a footing on top of the waxed fiber tubes. This footing is made to ease the work of pouring the material into the tubes. In most cases, people consider using concrete to create such footings due to it being strong and very durable.

the other step should be pouring the material into the tubes. To guarantee efficiency and remove the air that may have been trapped in the tubes, it is advisable to mix it well with a shovel after each eight to ten inches. After the tubes are filled, the constructor should then remove the footing and smoothen the material with a trowel.

Designers would then have to install the metal rebar or brackets. These are used to connect the pier to the deck. In order to ensure that your pier is strong enough, you will need to leave it for some time to dry and set. Afterwards, you would have to cut the tubing that is placed around the pier using a knife.

Constructors should know and follow various steps when constructing a pier. In most cases, each step would require different skills with respect to the materials that are used. Before you begin any construction project, it is advisable to determine the appropriate tools and techniques that can offer quality results when used to handle such projects. When you use the right tools and techniques to construct your pier, you can be sure of getting quality results, as there would be minimal or no problems.




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