Footers are a very important structural component of a house. In most cases, the footer is the only part of the house that touches the earth. Footers are commonly called spread footers because they spread the weight of the house over a wider area than if you just poured the foundation walls allowing them to touch the ground.
Concrete piers are vertical structural elements that support the weight of a building or structure. Their design and installation must consider the weight being supported and the frost line in your area. There are preformed concrete pier forms that provide you with the properly shaped concrete pier foundation.
A crack in a concrete foundation can be a sign of serious structural issues, problems with the soil, or just a minor concrete crack. Hiring an structural engineer could actually save you money in the long run.
You can build a home in the middle of winter or during the rainy season. Some special procedures for cold weather construction must be followed. Keeping the ground from freezing and getting the shell completed as quickly as possible is paramount.
Frost heave can cause cracks in your foundation or even raise your floors several inches. Foundation footers need to be poured below the frost line in your area. The shape of your piers is also important in reducing frost heaves.
Tim Carter describes one method to install a house foundation directly on bedrock.
Excavating a new home lot must be carefully planned. Foundation holes have to be the proper depth and not too big. Your site excavation plans needs to consider sidewalks, driveways and the trees you want to save.
The mystery holes in the foundation were made by the foundation form panels. If they are leaking, there are concrete repair products for foundation repairs. Be sure the concrete repair is done with an expanding foundation repair product.
Tim Carter describes the importance of a treated lumber sill plate in a wood-framed house. In addition, a layer of foam between the masonry foundation and the sill plate will help stop drafts into your house.
Tim Carter describes installing a concrete footer in this multi-part series. This video shows the poured footer with the keyway. The keyway helps keep the foundation wall from shifting.
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