A solid building starts with a solid foundation. It's that simple, right?! Simple...yes, Easy...NO.
When it comes to laying a foundation properly the devil is in the details, and a little extra attention to these details goes a long way. This is especially relevant in today's housing market here in Coastal North Carolina, where most new homes are concrete slab-on-grade. There few things that are absolute nowadays, but one thing that is certain is concrete is hard, heavy, and once it is set it is set. There are no easy fixes and there are no second tries. It is imperative that the work is done right from the start. There are cases where the details are not paid close enough attention, and it's usually not pretty. I don't mean to sound like an alarmist here. Slab-on-grade is a fantastic, proven building method with a tons of positives, it's just that when things go wrong they go reeaaaally wrong.
When a slab is placed, you have to think that it will be there for a long time. On top of that (literally) is the structure you are building that will rest on that foundation, and if the proper steps are taken, that building could last hundreds of years. Was the soil tested before the footer was dug? How about after? Did it rain the night before the pour? What was the humidity, wind speed, temperature? All of these things have an impact of the footers strength and ability to function. Settling may not show up for years, but when it does you are looking at a huge expense to remedy, often more that it costs to to the footer originally.
to be continued...
