CREATING FOOTINGS AND BUILDING YOUR FOUNDATON
As discussed in the article “Preparing and Grading Your Lot,” there are a variety of steps that your contractor must be follow before building on your lot. Once your land has been properly prepared and graded, the first construction step is creating footings and building your foundation.
Footings and Foundations
A footing is part of the foundation; it supports the structure and helps ensure that the home does not settle. A footing creates an attachment point between the foundation and the soil as well as helps spread the weight of the home so the soil can bear the home’s weight.
There are multiple steps a contractor must follow when creating footings and the foundation. Langbeen Builders typically builds homes on a raised-slab foundation. A raised slab foundation has the traditional benefits of a slab foundation while elevating the plane of the home, which creates additional visual and functional benefits. As its name implies, the main floor of a home is raised above the plane of the lot’s soil. To create the raised slab foundation, a base structure of footings is constructed, and a perimeter wall is built upon the footings.
One advantage of a home with a raised slab foundation is the home’s aesthetics. In a neighborhood of slab homes, a home with a raised foundation usually stands out and is often a little taller that most of the homes around it. In addition, because the house is elevated above grade, the chance of water invasion from rain is minimized.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Footings and Building the Foundation
STEP 1:
A surveyor “stakes-out” the footings and pins the exterior concrete wall corners of the lot, indicating the location of the foundation. This practice signals to the masons where to lay the footers.
STEP 2:
The masons use a mini excavator to dig the trenches, which is where they will lay their steel rebar horizontally as well as vertically. The size of the footings and amount of rebar are specified during the planning stage and can vary depending on soil conditions, size of the house, and geographical region. Building inspectors examine the footings for the depth and dimensions, reinforcing bar sizes, grades of steel, and bar spacing.
STEP 3:
The footing contactor delivers concrete and pours the footers (upon passing an inspection).
STEP 4:
Masons “block up” the foundation to its designated height with block and brick.
The grading contractor deposits backfill in the center of foundation (cavity) where it is then compacted to specifications.
STEP 5:
Electrical contractors lay their electrical lines and plumbing contractors run lines for drains, sewer, and water. This “slab work” is then inspected by the local building authority.
A pest control contractor sprays the foundation for the termite bond, and a vapor barrier is installed.
STEP 6: Concrete finishers cap the foundation with a layer of concrete, creating the final slab.