Why A Good Foundation Is The Most Important Step For Your New House
Posted on: 25 October 2018
Making sure a house will last the test of time and won't have big structural issues down the line is the number one job for every construction contractor. For you and your family, it can be frustrating to watch from the sideline while your house is being built due to the highly complicated nature of the construction process. You may find yourself gawking at the cost of some of the components of your house, especially parts of the house that are normally not as visible, such as the foundation. Rest assured that the process of building your home's foundation is expensive for a good reason, and here is why.
The Starting Point For Your House
When work begins on laying out your foundation this is the first time you will start to see the dimensions of your future home. You will see where your kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms will go and you will then begin to start to understand the amount of weight that will be pushing down onto the foundation. One of the major purposes of the foundation is to transfer all of the weight of your house into the earth without cracking or bulging. Some parts of your house will weigh more than others, and this uneven distribution of weight can cause a problem if you do not have a well-laid foundation. By making the foundation even and flat, you are distributing the weight that will be put onto it evenly so that buckling will not become a problem.
Providing Roots For Your Home
Just like a plant's roots stop the plant from being blown away by the wind your home's foundation provides a solid anchor that keep it safe from strong winds and other natural phenomena. If you do not have your foundation in solid ground, then you become more susceptible to big storms and high-pressure weather events. This is amplified if you are building a house near the beach as the weather there is more volatile.
Settling Properly Over Time
While what is on top of the foundation is what is the most important part of your house, think for a moment about the soil underneath your foundation. If your foundation is not set properly on solid ground, then it is possible for soft or water affected soil to shift over time and cause problems in your foundation. Making sure you get this right when you are setting your foundation the first time is extremely important as this can jeopardise the whole structure of your house down the line.
Do It Once; Do It Right
Laying a foundation is something you only want to do once over the life of your house. If you find cracks in your foundation in the years to come you might rue choosing a cheaper contractor over one that has a better reputation. These structural problems associated with the foundation can condemn your house or, at the very least, cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. That is why getting it right the first time is so expensive: because doing it right is not cheap, but you will never have to do it again.
For more information on foundation work, contact your local professionals.
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