Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house

   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #1  

stevenf

Platinum Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Messages
721
Location
Boerne, Texas
Tractor
Kubota M9000
I don't recall posting to the rural living site I'm usually found lurking and learning on the tractor section. I have a chance to buy unused 7" x 7" x 9' creosoted railroad ties at $10. each. Can I use these in a pier and beam house as the piers buried 3' to 4' feet in the ground or will the rot if they are buried. I need them to be about 3' or so above ground for crawl space but my main concern is how fast do ya'll think they would deteriorate being buried. If they outlast me slightly that would be fine, give the kids something to do after they shovel the dirt in my grave. I'm hoping to get 50 or so years out of them I'm around San Antonio in Texas so we do get rain just not like Oregon.
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #2  
StevenF; I've never heard of using ties for a pier foundation. I guess it could be possible, but treated is what is usually used. CCA was the treatment of choice for many years, but the EPA knew of a kid who ate a picnic table out of the stuff and now most treated is ACQ. You have to use stainless or triple galvanized [G185 rating] fasteners to prevent fastener failure due to the corrosive nature. Some timbers such as 6X6 on up are still available with CCA I think. The EPA figured joe homeowner wouldn't be using any lumber that size so it is usually used for commercial purposes. I don't think ties are an acceptable product to be used like you want. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

One idea is to call your building department and ask them. They get paid for that.

BTW, I hope that the kid that ate the picnic table didn't belong to anyone on here. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #3  
StevenF,

As John said, talk to your building department. I know the code does allow wood foundations but I don't know if the code allowed creosoted wood. And your local code maynot allow wood foundations.

Later,
Dan
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #4  
Steven,
I wouldn't use the ties for piers. (PERIOD)
RR ties are probably better than treated 6x6's that you'll find at the box stores, but generally the chemical doesn't penetrate throughout the timber. You'll find treated timbers that termites have penetrated up through the center into the building structure, leaving a seemingly solid perimeter around the timber. I wouldn't take the chance.
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #5  
That means you're paying $88 per yard of wood. You can get concrete for $10-20 less per yard than that. Why not just use concrete for the piers? Or concrete blocks which are even less?
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Mark I didn't follow your comment about the lumber costing $88.00 a yard what I need is 50 to 55 six foot wooden piers $500. to $550. I plan on augering the holes 3' deep and have 3 foot exposed on top to allow for crawl space. In augering the holes it will be might near impossible to drill them all perfectly level so after I'm done setting them straight I will cut them off all level with a chain saw to rest the beams on. I have never worked with concrete or sonotube but I'd have to imagine that this would take significantly longer and require additional equipment that I would have to rent or buy. I thought about the concrete blocks but here again I'd have to excavate 55 holes perfectly level or learn how to do masonry to lay the bricks with mortar and rebar to the correct height and all 55 the same, as stacking isn't practical I don't think but PLEASE! all I have right now is a 60 x 100 bulldozed fairly level site and now would be a great time to learn something new if you have heard or can think of a good way to get 50+ piers in the ground level I am all ears or actually eye's. I welcome anyone to chime in, the house I've planned is 1,800 sq ft and I plan on doing it all myself. I know this will make some enveous but my wife and I sold our house in the big city after planning this for 5 years and currently live in a 100 year old grounds keeper cabin in the middle of 350 acres. My honey is a little anxious about living in this shack "forever"so I need to get something going soon before she gets grumpieeerrrr. We heat with wood stoves and there is no insulation so if the fire goes out so does the heat and also our cooking abilities. Thank God we live in South TEXAS winters are mild and short. Steve
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #7  
I don't see why the RR ties won't work. The are pressure cooked oak.
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #8  
Can you use RR ties? Yes you can. Should you? I say no.
But, it sounds like you have your mind made up, so I say "Go for it". Keep us posted, as to the acceptance of the building code and inspector, if that is a condition, as well as the progress. Also, will the bank loan money on this building practice? They, if involved, might have an interest too.
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house #9  
Aside from code. Do you think that the treated cca pine or fir would hold up longer that creosote cooked oak? I don't know, just asking.
 
   / Can I use railroad ties for piers on my house
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Jerry, I don't know! originaly I ordered 60 used telephone poles from my local utility company they have 3 months to fill the order if they are unable to do this your order is cancelled for that quarter and you have to call and place the order again and hope they fill it during the next quarter so I'm just looking at my luck of late (concerning my M9000 completion being pushed back another 2 weeks) and figure I should come up with plan B. Ive checked in to treated 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 from local lumber company's and they are very expensive like $25. or so for a 8 x 8 x 8' so the railroad ties seemed like a good alternative being $10. each but I'm not sure how they would fair in ground embedment situations. I was hoping somone would respond that knows or has used them in a similiar task. Maybe some of the pole building folks or something.
 
 
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