Before you choose wood for house pilings, consider the following:

Characteristics of the location : It’s important to first consider the conditions of your building site. Drier building sites will require wooden house pilings with a lower concentration of chemical preservatives. Wetter areas, such as those near water bodies, will need higher concentrations to protect the wood from more robust populations of pests like termites and carpenter ants.

Home design : Homes along major flood area like the Gulf Coast will require longer pilings in general to rise out of the danger zone, whereas more inland areas will be fine with being raised just a couple feet. You’ll also need to consider the needed support for the structure. Single story homes can get away with more inexpensive house pilings that have a small diameter, whereas heavier two-story homes will need to upgrade to either bigger diameters or greater quantities of small diameter pilings.

Cross section : Wood house pilings come in three types of cross sections: Round, Square, and Uniform-diameter. Round pilings have a diameter that differs according to each wood’s natural variations, and each features a gradual taper from one end to the other. They are the least expensive, but are often harder to line-up correctly. The flat sides of square pilings make them easier to work and most consider them more aesthetically pleasing. Uniform-diameter house pilings are round pilings that have been machined on a lathe to create one continuous diameter the full length. This work makes them more expensive.

Depending on the nature of your building project, you’ll be looking for various properties when choosing wood for house pilings. Each type of house piling has its own unique advantages that may benefit a project in one application, but may not be the best solution for another. Here’s a quick look at popular wood for house pilings and things to consider when choosing:

1) Round Wood Pilings :  Round pilings are a common choice for constructions like raised homes, bulkheads, and docks due to their great strength and compression properties, abundance, and relatively low price point. Round wood pilings can last roughly 30 years in the water and much longer when installed on land. They also have a much stronger design due to having an allowable bending movement of about 60 percent higher than choices like square timber pilings. This bendability and added strength makes it an ideal choice for projects near the water where strong storm surges can be expected. But their major drawback is their lack of uniformity that can cause a challenge in applications where straight lines in required.

2) Square Timber Pilings :  In contrast, square timber pilings are often chosen because of their dimensional uniformity that are ideal for projects requiring straight lines and sharp edges. The main drawback is square house pilings with exposed heartwood don’t accept pressure treatment as well as other options. This can make this lumber more susceptible to harmful organisms that would reduce its longevity. When installing, square pilings should be rotated so that its face is squared to the future construction options (which differs from the round wood’s ability to be built upon on any side).