Types Of Basement Foundations And Their Uses
While foundations may not be the first thing you see when your new basement is unveiled, they actually happen to be one of the most important parts of the entire construction. To help you get an idea of the importance of basement foundations, we’ve explained the most common types here.
Trenchfill Foundations Or Traditional Footing
When building a basement, the standard procedure is to dig out the foundations to around a metre deep then fill them with either a traditional footing method or something called trenchfill.
The traditional footing method just requires the holes to be filled with concrete to about a third of the way up the hole, then we brick the rest up. With trenchfill, the name explains all really, as the trench is filled all the way up with concrete. This is a much easier method but much costlier than the traditional footing method as we have to use three times as much concrete.
Pad Foundations
A pad foundation is designed to support load in a particular point under a structural column, which is usually made from steel or another strong metal. These shallow foundations can come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the basement in question and can be spread over a wide area to support heavy loads.
Strip Foundations
In some cases, a pad foundation might be too wide for the space given in a particular basement. In this case, we would use strip foundations which work by supporting a line of loads which holds up the weight of the entire wall. Strip foundations are most commonly found in older properties with masonry style construction like some of the period basement constructions in London we have built.
Raft Foundations
Much like the name, raft foundations sit atop a raft of concrete which “floats” beneath the basement. These foundations are created out of extra-thick concrete and reinforced with steel. They are a bit more complicated to install than the previous types but are beneficial as they simultaneously provide foundations as well as a ground level floor, so could even save on cost in the long run.
At Knowles, we’ve built all of these foundation types many times before, so whichever method we use, you can be guaranteed that the end result will be well-designed and made with a high level of skill and care.
If you’d like to find out more about basement construction, or are considering investing in your own retrofit basement, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01344 886 898.