FAQ
New-build helical piles, with the limits left visible.
Answers focus on open-ground installs for custom homes. License numbers, warranty terms, and evaluation-report numbers are not invented here.
What is a helical pile for new construction?
A helical pile (also called a helical pier or screw pile) is a steel shaft with one or more helical plates. It is rotated into the ground on open pads before the house is built, then capped for a footing, grade beam, or elevated frame. TrueLine focuses on this new-construction work for custom homes along the coast.
Are the piles hammered in?
No. They are advanced by rotation. Nothing on this site means every pile is vertical — a design can call for plumb piles, battered piles, or both.
Why use helicals on coastal lots?
Loose sands, soft organics, high groundwater, storm scour, and salt exposure show up often on Grand Strand and Lowcountry sites. Helical piles can reach a deeper layer with little spoil. They do not erase those conditions. Corrosion, scour, uplift, and lateral load are still the engineer’s checks.
How deep do they go?
Along the Grand Strand, many published coastal installs fall roughly in the 20–40 foot range; other coastal counties often fall in a broader 20–50 foot band. That is a typical published range, not a specification. Depth follows the soil, the load, and the engineer’s stop criteria. A boring, when one exists, beats a range.
Does torque prove capacity?
Torque is measured while the pile rotates and is written down. It can be correlated to capacity only when the engineer accepts that correlation for the shaft, helices, and soil. A reading is not a substitute for the design.
How long does a new-home install take?
A typical new-home array often installs in about a day. Pile count, depth, access, weather, and tides change that. It is not a schedule promise.
What about galvanizing?
For coastal exposure we plan around hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123 unless the engineer of record specifies another coating or steel section. Coating and thickness remain a project specification.
Do you do foundation repair?
TrueLine’s focus is new-construction helical foundations installed before the house is built. If you need repair or underpinning on an existing home, ask and we can point you to options — but new builds for custom homes are the work we are set up to quote.
How does this compare with concrete piers?
A concrete pier is cast and must cure. A steel helical pile is rotated, usually with less spoil, and the steel section does not wait on a cure. Which system belongs on a site is an engineering choice.
Are they accepted for coastal permits?
Building officials in South Carolina and North Carolina see helical products regularly. A current evaluation report (ICC-ES or IAPMO) is one document a reviewer may ask for. We do not invent a report number here — ask for the current report on the product specified for your job. A report is not a permit and not a flood-insurance decision.
What will it cost?
No price list is published here. Cost moves with pile count, depth, helix layout, shaft, galvanizing, access, mobilization, engineering, geotech, and permitting. Request a quote with your plans for a fixed-price proposal.
Where do you work?
Coastal South and North Carolina from our North Myrtle Beach base: Horry and Georgetown Counties and the Charleston area in South Carolina, and Brunswick and New Hanover Counties in North Carolina, with nearby coastal communities by confirmation. Call or email to confirm a specific lot.
Who designs the piles?
The engineer of record designs the foundation. We coordinate layout, install to the design, and return torque logs and an as-built. License numbers and engineer names are not listed on this site.
Is there a warranty?
Warranty duration and terms are not stated on this site. Ask for the written warranty that applies to your project before you rely on one.
Do you offer spray foam insulation?
Yes, as a secondary service on new builds. Open-cell and closed-cell spray foam can be quoted with the helical foundation package so builders can keep foundation and insulation with one crew. Open-cell is commonly used for walls and attics; closed-cell is denser and is often chosen where a vapor or air barrier and higher rigidity matter — including under raised floors in flood-prone coastal homes. We do not publish brand names, R-value guarantees, prices, or warranties on this site; ask for a project-specific quote.
Does the project brief get emailed?
No. The brief is built in the browser and downloaded on your device. File names only are recorded — files are not uploaded. To request a quote, call or email us with your plans.