No home can ever be considered safe without a strong foundation, and to achieve this, your chosen construction contractors must pay attention to detail, and use the right materials and techniques. If you choose a reputable company to build your new home, you won’t have to worry about the strength of the foundation, but it pays to understand their importance before embarking on any construction project.
Outlined below are some of the main benefits of a strong foundation, and why it’s absolutely essential for any building:
Supports the building
A robust foundation must account for both dead weight and live weight: dead weight is the building’s constant structural weight, while live weight can change according to a number of variables, such as occupants, objects and vehicles etc.
While often constructed from concrete, foundations can also be made from stone, brick, reinforced concrete and treated wood.
Protects against the elements
If a building is constructed on a hillside, for example, and heavy snowfall is a common occurrence, the construction company must account for that when calculating the building’s live weight. In areas in which high winds, storms or earthquakes are prevalent (or are a risk), the foundations of a building must be made deep and strong, so that the building doesn’t just remain upright, but remains protected from potentially damaging weather elements, too.
Insulates a building
We all know that heat travels upwards, but while much emphasis is placed on insulating roofs and the upper floors of a property, ground floors and basements are just as important when it comes to insulating. With the earth transmitting hot or cold air up through a building, when a foundation is constructed using the right materials, it can create a buffer between the earth and the floors above it, helping to insulate the property from the ground up while also protecting it from water and moisture that could harm the entire building’s structure.
Stops moisture seepage
If a home is constructed close to a river or other water source that may be prone to flooding, provided its foundations are robust, it’s far less likely to get washed away by the force of water. Construction companies must also account for any changes to the ground below the building that may take place – such as if the water level is high or the soil is particularly moist – when building a foundation, and must ensure that it can provide the property with the right amount of structural support.
Strong foundations really are the essence of any new construction, and are about so much more than simply keep a structure upright. When you consider everything that may be inside a building, such as occupants and their belongings, and then take into consideration the impact a building with weak foundations could have on an entire neighborhood should it be compromised at any time, foundations really are integral to a successful build, and their importance should never be underestimated.