Every building, whether it’s a garden wall or a three-storey house, relies on its foundations. They transfer the weight of the structure to the ground, and their design must account for soil conditions, building loads, and environmental factors.

Types of Foundations

• Strip Foundations: The most common type for domestic builds. A continuous strip of concrete supporting load-bearing walls.
• Trench Fill: Similar to strip foundations but with the trench filled almost entirely with concrete. Faster to build and suitable for sites with unstable or clay soils.
• Raft Foundations: A large concrete slab that covers the entire footprint of the building. Used where ground conditions are poor or loads need to be spread over a wide area.
• Piled Foundations: Deep columns driven or bored into the ground to reach stable soil or rock. Used for larger structures or very challenging ground conditions.

What Goes Wrong

• Insufficient Depth: Foundations that don’t reach below the frost line or stable ground can move with seasonal changes.
• Poor Soil Assessment: Building on clay, peat, or filled ground without appropriate foundation design leads to differential settlement.
• Tree Proximity: Tree roots can extract moisture from clay soils, causing shrinkage and foundation movement.

Young’s Construction’s groundworks team ensures foundations are designed and built to the highest standards. Contact us for expert groundwork services.