Foundations for log cabins | ground screws | Scotland

Log Cabin Foundations, Holiday Lodges on Ground Screws, Thirlestane Castle, Scotland

We collaborated with the client, engineers, and park home manufacturer to complete the bespoke design, manufacture, and installation of robust ground screw foundations for holiday lodges at the beautiful Thirlestane Castle Estate.

Groundwork | ground screws | Cabins

Overview

A holiday park development in stunning Scottish woodland

Sustainable foundations as an alternative to concrete

These beautiful 40-foot luxury holiday lodges overlook the stunning 16th-century Thirlestane Castle. Due to the woodland location and the client’s respect for the surrounding environment, ground screw foundations provided a low-carbon and efficient alternative to traditional concrete bases.

Each lodge’s steel chassis needed a specific ground screw anchor layout with bespoke pads to align accurately with jacking points on the underside. It was critical that these were correctly specified and positioned, meeting both the engineer’s and manufacturer’s requirements.

Foundation screws with eye bolts were installed to provide the tethering points with adequate tensile capacity, securing the lodges in place and preventing any uplift from strong winds.

Ground screw installation | Holiday Lodge Project

Solution

A turnkey ground screw solution for holiday lodges in the Scottish Borders

Site Survey & Load-Testing

Compiling a full report, we attended the site to complete pre-installation surveys, including axial, lateral, and tensile load-testing, providing the empirical data required by the project engineers.

Bespoke Base System

We designed and manufactured bespoke foundations to interface between ground screws and each lodge, meeting the lodge’s manufacturer and installer requirements.

Ground Screw Installation

Efficient installation was achieved with our range of powerful ground screw machines driving 1.2m and 2.0m RADIX Ground Screws to their load-bearing capacities, including our hydraulic rig, REX.

The foundations for log cabins were completed within a day, allowing for swift installation of lodges to continue with minimum environmental impact.

Phase One: Plots one and two were completed in February 2022, with each lodge sitting on 32 no. RADIX 76x1250mm Ground Screws, 4 no. RADIX 76x2050mm Ground Screws and bespoke fittings.

Phase Two: Plots three and four were completed in November 2022, with each lodge sitting on 32 no. RADIX PRO 76x1250mm Ground Screws, 4 no. RADIX 76x2050mm Ground Screws and bespoke fittings.