The Importance of Laying a Good Foundation

As is often true in life, a strong foundation is often crucial for success.

While the foundation of your home is often underappreciated, it is extremely important to have a structurally sound foundation — some even consider it to be the most important part of your home.

If there are any mistakes in your foundation, then problems are likely to arise from them.

The Purpose of a Foundation

Your foundation does much more than simply hold your house on it. A good foundation keeps moisture out, resists movement, and insulates against the cold.

In areas where there is a lot of ground moisture, such as the Pacific Northwest, concrete foundations are a must. A good foundation usually requires a poured concrete footing and foundation walls — all reinforced by steel.

A foundation must be strong enough to support the load of the entire building. Well-built foundations keep occupants safe from normal weather and from natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

Concrete Foundations Are Best Left to the Professionals

Building and repairing foundations are complicated processes that are best left to professionals to ensure everything is engineered correctly and meets local building codes.

There are eight main steps in a foundation installation:

1. Pick your site
2. Have your site surveyed
3. Excavation
4. Install frame and barrier
5. Lay rebar grid
6. Pour the concrete
7. Build foundation walls
8. Seal your foundation walls and footing

How You Can Ensure Your Foundation Is Structurally Sound

Although foundations are something you should not attempt to do yourself, it is still important to educate yourself and ask a lot of questions.

Here are a few examples of what you should look out for to ensure your foundation is structurally sound:

• It’s important to make sure the steel rebar is sized and spaced out correctly. The layout for a foundation depends on the size of the foundation wall and local codes, which a licensed contractor will be familiar with.
• Rebar should be placed at least 4 inches away from the edges of the concrete, otherwise, it can pull in moisture from the outside and cause the rebar to rust. This rust will slowly but surely spread throughout the entire rebar system, rendering it useless.
• It’s best to wait until the water has evaporated off the top of the foundation before you finish troweling, otherwise, you risk pressing the water back into the concrete and weakening it.
• Having a level foundation is crucial and something to pay extra attention to. If your home is being constructed on sloping ground, the foundation must be customized.

RGS Contracting understands how important your home’s foundation is and that’s why we work with the highest rated engineers around to provide the strongest and most reliable concrete solutions.  

At RGS Contracting,  we have the knowledge and expertise to construct all kinds of foundations in every kind of location. Whether you need a foundation built on flat land or on a hillside, RGS Contracting can help you. Contact us for more information.