Ground Screws
Ground screws, installed to plan with a torque report
Ground screws replace dug-and-poured concrete footings. Mr. Posthole is certified by Michigan Ground Screw to install American Ground Screw products. Send the plans: Kirk works out the tributary load on each pier, picks the screw for it, installs it, and gives you the torque report for your building department. No concrete, buildable immediately, and it works on frozen ground.
What is a ground screw?
A ground screw is a screw-in foundation. It goes into the ground in place of a dug hole full of concrete, and your post or beam bolts to the top.
Our ground screws are a highly engineered product covered by ICC-ES evaluation report ESR-4226. Once they're in, you can build immediately.
How is a ground screw job done?
- 01Fill out the contact form and send your plans.
- 02Kirk picks the right screws for your loads and sends an estimate.
- 03When you're ready to go, Kirk provides the tributary load calculations, a drawing that calls out each pier, ICC-ES ESR-4226 and the State of Michigan Certificate of Acceptability of Product for your building permit application.
- 04Kirk installs, records the torque on every screw, and gives you the torque report your building department requires. It shows each screw went in to spec.
You can start building the minute we finish.
Send your plansWhy ground screws instead of concrete?
No concrete to mix, pour or wait on, so the structure is buildable immediately. The posts stay out of the ground. And because nothing has to cure, ground screws work in winter and on frozen ground, which makes them a good fit for winter deck builds.
On a Dexter deck we set four screws for 6x6 posts in about 45 minutes, with no hole spoils, and the carpenters were working before we left.
Do ground screws need an inspection?
In most municipalities we work in, there's no inspection for ground screws. The building department accepts the engineering report, tributary load calculations and torque report. In Livingston County, an inspector comes out to watch one screw go in, and we schedule that for you. We'll help you figure out what your project needs.
What do ground screws cost?
Ground screws: $149–$210 per screw, including the screw, flange and hardware. Installation: $75 per screw, with a $600 minimum installation charge. Every ground screw installation includes: tributary load calculations, a permit drawing calling out each pier, ICC-ES ESR-4226 and the State of Michigan Certificate of Acceptability of Product for your permit application, and a torque report after installation.
Photos
On the job
The Mr. Posthole machine driving a ground screw beside a new deck frame 
Ground screws with post brackets set in a grid across a backyard pad, the machine and its drive head at right 
Crew member plumbing a ground screw under the drive head, the machine on a ground mat 
Crew member checking a ground screw set tight against a brick wall 
A ground screw going in beside new deck stairs 
Ground screws set across a prepared backyard pad, a level laid across two of them 
Close-up of an installed ground screw and its post bracket 
A ground screw going in through a stone bed against a brick wall
Why screws
No concrete, no waiting
No concrete
Nothing to mix, pour or haul in.
Buildable immediately
No cure time. Framing can start when we leave.
Posts out of the ground
The post sits on the screw, not in the dirt.
Works in winter
Frozen ground included. Great for winter deck builds.
Paperwork
What you get
Tributary load calculations
With a drawing that calls out each pier: every pier numbered, with the load it carries and the screw picked for it.
Permit documents
ICC-ES ESR-4226 and the State of Michigan Certificate of Acceptability of Product, for your building permit application.
Torque report
Each screw's installed torque, logged by pier number. It shows each screw went in to spec.
Certified by Michigan Ground Screw to install American Ground Screw products.
Our ground screws are evaluated under ICC-ES ESR-4226.
Projects
Ground Screws: recent jobs
Customer reviews
From customers
“Awesome job by Kirk and his son setting 22 post screws for our new deck. Very professional and accurate. The detailed work done will make the deck assembly a snap. Thoroughly recommended!”
FAQ
Ground Screws questions
Do ground screws need an inspection?
In most municipalities we work in, there's no inspection for ground screws. The building department accepts the engineering report, tributary load calculations and torque report. In Livingston County, an inspector comes out to watch one screw go in, and we schedule that for you. We'll help you figure out what your project needs.
Can you install ground screws in winter?
Yes. There's no concrete to pour or cure, so ground screws go in on frozen ground. That makes them a good fit for winter deck builds, and the structure is buildable immediately.
What do I need to send you for ground screws?
Your plans, through the contact form. Kirk picks the right screws for your loads and sends an estimate. When you're ready, he provides the tributary load calculations, a drawing that calls out each pier, ICC-ES ESR-4226 and the other documents for your building permit application, then installs and gives you the torque report.
How do you know each screw will hold?
Torque. As each screw goes in, its torque is recorded by a hub that connects by Bluetooth to an app on Kirk's phone. If a screw reaches its minimum torque, it bears its rated load. Every screw is logged by pier number in the torque report.
Do ground screws need concrete?
No. A ground screw goes into the ground in place of a dug-and-poured footing, so there's no concrete, no cure time and no hole spoils. The posts stay out of the ground.
What do ground screws cost?
Ground screws: $149–$210 per screw, including the screw, flange and hardware. Installation: $75 per screw, with a $600 minimum installation charge. Every ground screw installation includes tributary load calculations, a permit drawing calling out each pier, ICC-ES ESR-4226 and the other documents for your permit application, and a torque report after installation.
Tell us about your holes.
How many, how wide, how deep, and where. Kirk will text or call you back with a quote. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.