Are you building a dam or bridge, repairing an old house, or any other structure? Then pier foundation is the type of foundation you will need. If you have been to the beach community, you have likely seen a house built on stilts, and most have a pier foundation. Besides, they are also mostly used in building tall buildings, a construction that looks like a wood deck.
Your house or building will have a foundation made of vertical pillars or piles that transmit the building load to the soil. After that, the beams are constructed on top of the columns to strengthen the foundation and enhance stability.
Indeed, constructions like pier and beam foundations are good for buildings that may need help digging the traditional type of foundation around trees or complex root systems. They are also ideal foundations for buildings close to the ocean since they raise the house high to protect it from rising tides.
Of course, for any construction, the foundation, which is the lower part of the building, is essential because it transfers load from the structure to the soil. Read on to discover things to have in mind before building the foundation.
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Factors to remember when constructing the foundation
Condition of the soil
Depending on the soil type, you can make or break your foundation. For instance, the loam soil, rock, and sand will make good since they are the foundation–friendly. But, for the clay, pat and silt are bad options since they tend to change the structure, leading to cracks in the foundation.
Soil erosion
Soil erosion is yet another thing that surrounds the world of building foundations. If the top layer of the ground disappears, water retention will become harder.
The changes taking place on the ground will mess with the structure and lead to shifts that could damage the foundation of the oil. Due to this, soil erosion or your construction needs to be considered when building a foundation.
Cost and speed
Building a foundation is expensive and slow in speed, and you need to prepare for it. Because there are several issues to be found in the soil, sometimes even amid the work, material, and maybe machine that you may have to use, it is always hard to construct a foundation because there are many things to take into consideration and so many others that you cannot predict about.
Waterlogged ground
It could be a better building in a waterlogged area because, most times, the foundation could be better. In such a situation, you must be aware of the dangers it will pose to the building.
When water seeps into the foundation, it becomes weak if you don’t go for a stronger design like the pier and beam foundations. In the worst design, the building will collapse, causing anger to people within the area and around them, which will likely cause loss.
The foundation of a building will make it either safe or unsafe for both the residents and the environment at large. Ensure you undergo all the issues that can come up before you start work. By following all the above factors, you will come up with the best foundation design, and everything will be fine.
