Concrete Pile Foundation — Florida Engineering

Prestressed concrete piles for residential construction in Florida are typically 8×8 or 10×10 inch square piles, 30–50 feet long. The pile design must address: compression capacity (the ability to support the building's weight), tension capacity (the ability to resist wind uplift), lateral capacity (the ability to resist wind and wave loads), and scour (the erosion of soil around the pile during storm surge). Pineland Engineering performs complete pile foundation design including pile capacity analysis, pile cap design, grade beam design, and connection design from the structure to the pile cap.

The pile cap is the concrete element that connects the piles to the structure above. For residential construction, the pile cap is typically a concrete grade beam that runs between the piles and supports the floor framing. The grade beam must be designed for the loads transferred from the structure above and the loads transferred from the piles below. Pineland Engineering designs pile caps and grade beams for all coastal Florida pile foundation projects.