Building Foundations: A Construction Guide
Whether you’re a first-time builder, or an experienced construction expert, understanding the requirements of building foundations is essential to developing safe, secure and long-lasting construction solutions.
What does it take the build a great foundation, though? In this guide, we’ll explore the process of constructing a foundation - from determining your requirements to getting the dig done just right; let’s explore what you need to make the best foundation today.
Firstly - Why is a Foundation Important?
The foundation of a home forms an essential part of residential construction. A foundation forms a base for your housing structure to place to weigh down on, with a reduced risk of subsetting and structural failure.
Consider two fence posts - one planted straight into the mud and another with a cement base. Over time, as the soil deteriorates due to weather and poor conditions (such as mudslides and seismic events), the fence post without a base is more likely to succumb to degradation and eventual collapse.
On the other hand, the cement base fence post has not moved nearly as much - with the support of a concrete base; it has been able to reduce the impact of surface movements on the fence post.
Let’s explore some of the steps that you’ll need to build a safe and well-designed foundation.
Step 1: Determine Your Foundation Requirements
It’s important that your foundation requirements are accurately and appropriately determined. This may involve a surveyor visiting the site and developing measurements along the datum point (or fixed reference point) for excavation purposes.
Remember - once your datum point is set, all measurements from that point on should be done relative to that point. Any errors made from incorrect calculations can have potential long-lasting impacts, such as poorly balanced or unsafe foundations.
Depending on the size and structure of the foundation, you may need to determine where a sizable amount of soil can be replaced and repurposed. While it’s possible that some may be used in backfilling and structural support, it’s important that any excess soil is managed correctly.
In many jurisdictions, simply dumping your waste excavation on another property is considered illegal, so it’s important that you identify local waste facilities for spoilage.
Step 2: Acquire The Materials You’ll Need
Once you’ve determined what you’ll need for your foundation, it’s time to hit the hardware store and grab the tools you need.
Depending on the type, size, and composition of your foundation, you may need a number of different products. For example, depending on the composition of your foundation, you may need equipment such as mesh reinforcement structures, a few good sets of boots, and rakes for levelling out the foundation.
If you have a large foundation to build, you may wish to consider hiring a concreting truck. This may reduce the need for a large volume of concreters while also providing increased volumes of concrete for the work at hand.
Step 3: Measure Twice, Dig Once
When setting up your foundation, it’s important that you make all the necessary measurements before you undergo construction. After all, when the ground is dug up, it’s easy to lose track of your reference points if you’re just adding them on the go.
Elements to consider here include marking out the position of your building foundations using string and marking out the building trenches using paint or some other marker.
Remember, when doing these markings, you’ll need to ensure that they are relative to the datum point that you set earlier. Any errors made here will be problematic if they’re not identified and resolved quickly - after all, you don’t want to be digging the wrong trench.
When all the marking is done, it should be time to dig your trenches and check the concrete. Remember, check with a registered professional when your trenches are done to ensure they’re sufficiently deep - a thin foundation with a large amount of weight on it can lead to cracking down the line.
Keep in mind that building a foundation can be a difficult process. If you’re unsure about the steps you may need to take, don’t hesitate to contact a professional for further advice and assistance. There are many knowledgeable hands in the industry that are only too willing to help.