Bored Piers Melbourne — Deep Foundation Specialists Since 2001

What Are Bored Piers and When Are They Needed?

Bored piers — also called bored piles, drilled piers, or concrete piers — are the standard deep foundation solution when a building site's soil conditions cannot support structural loads through conventional shallow footings. In Melbourne, this arises frequently because of the widespread reactive clay soils that shrink and swell with seasonal moisture changes, causing differential movement in lightly-founded structures.

The requirement for bored piers is determined by a geotechnical engineer who conducts a soil investigation, classifies the site to Australian Standard AS 2870-2011 (Residential Slabs and Footings), and prepares a geotechnical report. Sites classified as Class M, H1, H2, or E under AS 2870-2011 typically require deep pier foundations. The structural engineer then designs the pier layout — specifying diameters, depths, reinforcement, and concrete grade — based on the geotechnical report and building loads.

How ASAP Piling Installs Bored Piers

ASAP Piling follows AS 2159-2009 (Piling: Design and Installation) for every bored pier project. The standard six-step process is:

1. Site Preparation and Mark-Out

   Before piling commences, the builder, surveyor, or client marks pile locations with spray paint to the engineer's set-out drawings. A site cut is completed to the design level. ASAP Piling requires access to the set-out drawings and a clear working area around each pile location before mobilising.

2. Rig Positioning

   ASAP Piling positions the drilling rig on the first pile location. For standard residential and commercial sites, full-size rigs are used. For tight-access sites — including rear-of-block builds, sites with narrow entry points, and situations requiring piles directly on the boundary — compact specialist rigs are deployed.

3. Drilling to Design Depth

   The auger is rotated into the ground to the engineer-specified founding depth. ASAP Piling uses drilling sequences specified by the engineer — typically Sequence 1 (hit-hit piling at 1200mm centres) for standard conditions, progressing to alternate sequences for softer or more reactive soils. The founding stratum is confirmed before the auger is extracted.

4. Reinforcement Cage Placement

   Steel reinforcement cages fabricated to the engineer's specification are lowered into the drilled hole before concrete is placed. Cage dimensions, steel grade, and cover to formwork are checked against the engineer's drawings.

5. Concrete Placement

   Concrete is placed to the engineer's specification — typically 25 to 40MPa depending on the structural and exposure requirements. On open-access sites, concrete is placed directly from the agitator truck chute. Restricted-access sites use a boom pump, and very tight sites use a line pump to control fall height and prevent segregation.

6. Completion and Records

   ASAP Piling records pile depths, concrete volumes, and any site observations for the engineer's quality file. A completion report is provided on request.

Tight-Access Piling — ASAP Piling's Speciality

Many Melbourne residential construction sites — particularly narrow inner-suburban lots, rear-of-block developments, and side extensions — present access constraints that prevent standard piling rigs from operating. ASAP Piling has built its reputation on tight-access work. Our specialist compact machines can:

Available Specifications

Bored Piers for Melbourne Residential Projects

Residential bored pier projects form a major part of ASAP Piling's workload. Reactive clay sites — prevalent in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, eastern suburbs, and bayside areas — require deep pier foundations to satisfy AS 2870-2011 classification requirements and protect structures from differential movement. The most common residential applications include:

• New home construction on Class M, H1, H2, or E reactive clay sites, particularly across the south-eastern and eastern suburbs where Port Phillip Clay presents significant reactivity.
• Townhouse and multi-unit developments requiring uniform founding conditions across all units to prevent differential settlement between adjoining structures.
• Sloping block construction where differential bearing conditions across the site require all piers to found at the same level in a consistent bearing stratum.
• Heritage home underpinning where original footings have failed due to decades of reactive soil movement and require supplementary deep support.
• Retaining wall pile foundations for cut-and-fill sites where walls must carry surcharge and retained earth loads.

ASAP Piling works directly with structural engineers and builders. Have your engineer's drawings and soil report ready and call Nick on 0499 888 799 for a written quotation within 2 to 3 business days.