On commercial projects, the case for ground screws is programme and predictability. There is no excavation programme, no concrete curing window, no spoil to cart away and no weather dependency on wet trades. A screw foundation is installed, levelled and load-ready in a fraction of the time — and on multi-site rollouts, the same specification repeats predictably from site to site.
Our installation service is built on years of screw foundations in Surrey, carrying real structures — not just posts and signs. We install to structural engineers' schedules, provide installation records where required, and can arrange load testing where the specification calls for it.
Mobilisation & Equipment Setup
We price travel as Mobilisation & Equipment Setup — it covers getting our installation equipment, screw stock and team to your site and set up ready to work. The minimum mobilisation charge is £250 + VAT.
| Distance from our Surrey base | Mobilisation & Equipment Setup |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 miles | £250 + VAT |
| 31 – 60 miles | £350 + VAT |
| 61 – 100 miles | £500 + VAT |
| 101 – 150 miles | £750 + VAT |
| 151 – 200 miles | £1,000 + VAT |
| 201 – 300 miles | £1,350 + VAT |
| Over 300 miles | From £1,750 + VAT |
Accommodation: Where overnight accommodation is required, this will be priced according to suitable availability on the project dates. We will always aim to keep accommodation costs reasonable and agree them before the work is booked.
Commercial Applications We Install For
Screws from 800mm to 3,000mm (3m), selected to the loads, ground conditions and engineering requirements of each structure.
Modular & portable buildings
Site offices, welfare units, classrooms and modular accommodation — level, load-rated bases installed ahead of delivery.
Site infrastructure
Walkways and boardwalks, signage, lighting columns, canopies, shelters and equipment bases — without breaking ground with concrete.
Leisure & hospitality
Glamping units, pods, lodges, decked terraces and outdoor structures — installed cleanly on sensitive or landscaped sites.
How We Engineer a Ground Screw Foundation
Four things determine whether a screw foundation performs for decades: ground conditions, load transfer, the subframe above and the setting out.
Ground conditions
Clay, sand, gravel, chalk and made-up ground all behave differently. We assess the ground before specifying, and adjust screw length, diameter and spacing so each screw reaches soil that can reliably carry its share of the load — including seasonal movement in shrinkable clays.
Load transfer
The structure's dead and imposed loads are distributed across the screw grid so no single screw is overloaded. Point loads — posts, glazed openings, heavy equipment — get dedicated screws or tighter spacing.
Timber & steel subframes
Screw heads are levelled and finished with fixings to suit the subframe: timber ring beams and joist grids for most garden buildings, or galvanised steel subframes where spans, loads or ground clearance demand it.
Screw spacing & setting out
Screws are set out from the structure's drawings, not by eye — typically at 1.2–2m centres depending on load and subframe design, positioned under bearing lines so the frame above lands exactly where it should.
Real Installation Photography
Everything on this page is from genuine Helps & Co and First Base installations — no stock imagery.
Multi-Site Rollouts & Programmes
One specification
The screw schedule is engineered once and repeats across sites, with per-site adjustments only where ground conditions demand them.
Predictable programme
Known install rates per site and no curing windows make screw foundations easy to slot into a wider rollout programme.
Programme pricing
Rollouts are priced as a programme with trade rates, not site by site. Also placing single trade packages? See our trade page.
Commercial Ground Screws — FAQs
What commercial structures suit ground screw foundations?
Modular and portable buildings, site offices and welfare units, walkways and boardwalks, signage and lighting, glamping and leisure structures, canopies and shelters, and equipment bases. Anything with defined loads that would otherwise need strip footings or pads can usually be engineered onto screws.
Do you handle multi-site rollouts?
Yes. Multi-site programmes are where ground screws are strongest commercially — repeatable specification, predictable install times per site and no curing delays. We price rollouts as a programme with trade rates rather than site by site.
Can you work to our structural engineer's design?
Yes. We install to engineers' screw schedules and setting-out drawings as standard, provide installation records where required, and can arrange load testing where the specification calls for it.
How is travel priced for commercial projects across the UK?
Travel is priced as Mobilisation & Equipment Setup, minimum £250 + VAT, banded by distance — see the table above. Where overnight accommodation is required it is priced according to suitable availability on the project dates and agreed before the work is booked.
What screw sizes do you install on commercial work?
From 800mm to 3,000mm (3m), including deep engineered anchoring for heavier loads and poorer ground. Final screw selection depends on the loads, ground conditions and engineering requirements of the project.
Do you consider international projects?
Selected international projects are considered individually — typically larger commercial or multi-site programmes where the scale justifies mobilisation. Send us the project outline.
Pricing a commercial foundation package?
Send the drawings, engineer's schedule or programme outline and we'll come back with a fixed price, install rate and mobilisation plan — per site or across the rollout.