Modern Earth Contracting installs board piers for residential and commercial building projects across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. Drilled, formed, and poured to your structural engineer’s specification, ready for the footing system above.
Board piers also known as bored piers or drilled piers are a common footing solution for buildings on sites where the near-surface soil is too weak or expansive to support a conventional strip footing at shallow depth. By drilling down to competent material and forming a reinforced concrete pier, the structural load is transferred to ground that can carry it safely, regardless of what is happening in the soil above.
In the Adelaide region, board piers are particularly common on sites with the reactive clay soils found across much of the metropolitan area and the Hills, where the natural movement of the clay with seasonal moisture changes would cause unacceptable differential movement in a shallow footing system. Modern Earth Contracting drills and forms board piers to structural engineer specification for builders and developers across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands.
The decision to use board piers rather than a conventional footing system is typically driven by the geotechnical investigation report and the structural engineer’s assessment of the site conditions. Common situations where board piers are specified in the Adelaide region include:
Board pier installation is a straightforward process when the right equipment and operator experience are brought to the job. Modern Earth Contracting uses appropriate drilling equipment for the pier diameters and depths specified, and our operators understand the importance of drilling cleanly, forming the bore correctly, and placing concrete without disturbing the surrounding material.
The typical installation sequence is:
We work from the structural engineer’s drawings and pier schedule, and we flag any conditions encountered during drilling such as unexpected rock, groundwater, or evidence of fill that differ from what the design assumed.
For residential builders, board pier installation is usually one of the first trades on site after the site cut is complete. Modern Earth Contracting understands the sequencing requirements and can work efficiently across a residential footprint to complete the pier scope in a single mobilisation where site conditions allow.
We are happy to liaise directly with the structural engineer or building supervisor to confirm pier locations, depths, and any site-specific requirements before we start drilling. Getting these details confirmed before mobilisation avoids delays and variations on the day.
Modern Earth Contracting installs board piers for residential and commercial building projects across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. We work with residential builders, volume builders, custom home builders, and commercial construction companies who need a reliable pier subcontractor they can count on to deliver the scope accurately and on programme.
For related services see our detailed excavation and site cut and fill pages.
Find out why we are the smart choice for civil solutions in Adelaide and surrounds.
Need board piers installed for your Adelaide building project? Modern Earth Contracting provides free quotes for board pier installation to engineer specification. Get in touch today to discuss your requirements.
Drawings review and quote
We review the structural drawings and pier schedule and provide a fixed-price quote for the complete pier scope.
Set-out and confirmation
Pier locations are set out on site from the building drawings. We confirm depths and any site-specific requirements with the engineer or supervisor before drilling begins.
Drilling and forming
Piers are drilled to the specified diameter and depth, tube formers installed, and reinforcement placed to the engineer’s specification.
Concrete pour and handover
Concrete is poured and vibrated, piers left at the specified top level. The pier scope is completed and the site handed back to the builder.
Modern Earth Contracting provides civil drainage solutions for construction sites, rural properties, and developed land across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. Stormwater drainage, agricultural pipe, cut-off drains, and site drainage systems designed to manage water where it falls.
Modern Earth Contracting constructs rural driveways and access tracks for farms, rural properties, and land developments across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. Practical, well-built access that handles the conditions and gets you where you need to go year-round.
Modern Earth Contracting provides detailed excavation services for builders, developers, and landowners across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. Precise machine work, experienced operators, and a site left ready for the next stage of your project.
Modern Earth Contracting prepares shed and warehouse bases across Adelaide metro, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray Lands. From farm shed pads and rural machinery sheds through to commercial warehouse sites, we deliver a base that is level, compacted, and built to last.
Modern Earth Contracting provide civil and earthworks services all across adelaide and South Australia. From Mount Barker to Norwood, Victor Harbor to Murray Bridge. We are the trusted Earthmoving contractor in Adelaide.
