Rapidpad™ Foundations
Here at Dunster House® we have been searching for a practical solution to the ideal foundation system dilemma. After looking at all the different options available to our customers, we decided the best thing to do was to design and launch our very own! Our fully adjustable, portable RapidPad™ foundation system is ideal for our range of Log Cabins and Lienne Office Buildings. The RapidPads™ offer many benefits over a normal conventional concrete base that can take up to 3 days to set and are difficult to level. With our system you’re not just buying the pads, you’re getting a product specific system that includes a 70mm thick insulated floor in the process!
Here is a step-by-step process of the construction of the RapidPads™:
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| Step 1 - Holes: Begin by removing the turf and tamp down the soil | Step 2 - Grids: Place all the Plastic Grids into position within the holes | Step 3 - Shingles: Fill the Grids evenly with the Pea Shingles, to help stabilise the Grids |
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| Step 4 - RapidPads™: Attach the bolt, nuts and plate to the Metal Base, which then sits on the Grids | Step 5 - Bearers: Holes are made in the bearers so the bolt can fit, then it's placed on top of the RapidPads™ | Step 6 - Insulation: The Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are then placed on the bearers and screwed in place |
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| Step 7 - Wall Section: The lower section of the wall can now be built on top of the bearers, ready for the next stage | Step 8 - Flooring: Now the walls are in place, the floor boards can now be positioned and nailed to the SIPs | Step 9 - Building: The Garden Building is now ready to be finished on your RapidPad™ Foundations |
The RapidPads™ have a large 110mm range of height adjustment, which allows you to quickly and easily ensure that a level foundation is made.
They require minimal digging compared to any other foundation method and saving you the effort of making a concrete base, or using sleepers. You only need to dig down to 30-40mm deep, which means you shouldn't come in to contact with any pipes etc. under the ground. They are also light and portable, so they are much easier to carry and move around, but are designed to still be able to carry a heavy load (approx. 200kg per pad, which equates to a force of approx. 16Kpa).
(Look below to see how simple it is to set up a RapidPad™ in detail)
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| Shallow hole is made and tamped | The Plastic Grid is placed in Hole | Pea Shingles are poured in Grid holes | Pad is assembled and placed on Grid |
AND DON’T FORGET THAT YOU ALSO GET 70mm THICK INSULATED SIPs FLOOR PANELS!
RapidPads™ are available to order Now!!! Look for them in the Optional Extras section at the bottom of the product pages for all Log Cabins and Garden Offices.
Examples of ground that is and isn’t suitable from a levelling point of view are shown below:
This ground is OK
The above diagram shows ground that is within the range of 85mm to 195mm down from the level of the bearers. You may also notice that the ground in between the first and second pad is almost at the height of the level shown, this is fine as the bottom of the bearers only starts at the line marked level.
This ground is NOT suitable
The above diagram gives an example of ground which is too uneven. In this example the two extreme extents of the pads adjustability are shown to the right (85mm) and left (195mm) of the diagram but the pads in between are too far below the level and if jacked up to 195mm high they would not reach the level.
This ground is OK
The above diagram shows ground which is sloping but the slope is within the range of adjustability that the pads can cope with. Over the entirety of the length of the ground from one end of the building to the other the height on one side is 85mm from the level, and the height on the other side is up to 195mm from the level so the adjustment available with the RapidPads™ will be able to cope with this slope.
This ground is NOT suitable
The above diagram shows a slope that is too steep for the RapidPad™ foundation system. The distance from the level on one side is 85mm but the height difference between the ground and the level on the other side is too much as it is greater than 195mm.
Each pad allows a maximum of 110mm of adjustment in height, the lowest point is 85mm from the ground and the highest point is 195mm from the ground.
