Types Of Residential Foundations
When a new home is built, the choice of foundation system used by the builders depends first and foremost on the condition of the soil. Shallow foundations are fine when they’re built on strong ground; poor soil may call for deeper foundations. Other factors play a role, too. Foundations can be designed to cope with conditions like frequent flooding or freezing temperatures. If you’re looking to build a home of your own, you can talk to a structural engineer to learn more about your foundation choices. We will go over the most common 4 examples of residential concrete foundations in this post.
Foundation Type 1: Poured Concrete
This is the most common form of residential foundation used today. A concrete slab foundation is exactly what it sounds like: A level mat of concrete a few inches thick with deeper beams around the edges. This is usually placed on a bed of gravel to facilitate drainage. Pouring a concrete slab is fast and straightforward, and this type of foundation works well in climates that do not suffer from deep winter freezes. In most residential jobs, poured concrete foundations will receive a modicum of steel reinforcement to strengthen them.
Foundation Type 2: Frost-Resistant Foundation
In cold climates like those mentioned just above, extra steps are taken to preserve the foundation from temperature extremes. Concrete footings are added to an ordinary slab foundation that extend below the limits of frost penetration. An alternative system is called the frost-protected shallow foundation, or FPSF. In this type of foundation, insulated concrete is used to create a typical slab foundation that will resist frost damage. Frost-protected shallow foundations are most common in the Nordic countries, with millions of examples to be found in Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Foundation Type 3: Permanent Wood
The technology to create durable, reliable foundations out of wood were perfected in the 60s. Wooden lumber and plywood is specially treated with preservatives to resist moisture and other forms of damage, resulting in a light-weight, high-strength foundation material that can be installed quickly and easily. As an added bonus, permanent wood foundations are easy to insulate, resulting in sub-surface living spaces (basements and crawlspaces) that are more useful. Permanent wood foundations have been used in over 300,000 US homes. Another common use of permanent wood foundations is for constructing sheds.
Foundation Type 4: Raised Foundations
In coastal areas and other regions that are prone to flooding, raised foundations are the go-to solution. Raised foundations are designed to provide the support a home needs and also to resist moisture. They’re broken down into two main categories: stem wall and pier-and-beam. In both systems, the foundation rests on deep piers anchored in the soil. In pier-and-beam foundations, these piers support individual footings made of masonry which take the load of the home above. In a stem wall foundation, continuous masonry chain walls fill this role instead.
There you go. The most common types of residential concrete foundations. Each one has a specific application that will apply to your project based on the needs your region’s climate and building location impose on you. For help with your next concrete foundation project checkout our residential concrete services or our commercial concrete services or contact us today.
Questions about concrete foundations? Leave us a comment below 🙂
In all honesty, I would probably have to go with the poured concrete. I don’t really know how well wood would stand the test of time against concrete. Plus, you’ll get better durability with stronger structural support.
I live in California, so I’ve not familiar with just how damaging frost can be. I’m surprised that there is a special type of foundation for it. The only residential foundations I’ve seen are the poured concrete and coastal raised foundations. Are there any places in the states that require frost-resistant foundations?
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Great post! I’m not sure that permanent wood would work for where I live, though—I feel like the damp and the termites would eat right through it! Personally, I’ve only ever seen frost-resistant and poured concrete foundations. Are there any other advantages to raised foundations other than avoiding flood damage? Thanks!
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This type of design can also be advantageous when building on a steep grade. It can save time and money by avoiding some of the time consuming cuts and fills that would be required to level a pad for a traditional slab.
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I think it is interesting that we use concrete for a number of things. I think it is so interesting how the majority of the buildings we build including our homes have concrete in them. Without it, we really wouldn’t have a firm foundation to build our structures on.
I didn’t know that they make foundations that are actually frost resistant for people who live in cold climates. It is really interesting how many types of foundation choices you have when you construct a new home. I would probably choose concrete for my home, because it sounded like it will be a lot faster than the other choices.
Cool post! Thank you for helping me understand the different types of Residential Foundations! I really liked how you said that,”Foundations can be designed to cope with conditions like frequent flooding or freezing temperatures. If you’re looking to build a home of your own, you can talk to a structural engineer to learn more about your foundation choices.”. I had a really good contractor when I was building my house, and he really helped me to get the best foundation possible to support my new house.
I had no idea that foundations are chosen based on where they are being built. It makes sense that the soil and other things are a huge deciding factor in this process. I’ll have to look into this more when I start building my home at the start of the summer.
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That is cool that there is a frost resistant foundation. We live in a pretty cold area and if we don’t have concrete that can withstand extreme temperatures then it can cause problems. I will have to talk to my contractor about using this. Is this foundation something that most construction workers use normally in really cold areas?
I never knew that wood was used for foundation instead of concrete. I guess with how cheaply it can be done, it does not take that much effort. I will have to see what is the best option for building a house before I actually start anything.
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Thanks for the information on these different types of foundations. I think my home has a poured concrete style foundation. It is always good to know what is holding your house up. Thanks for the help, I am sure it will come in handy when I am planning on building another home.
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I kind of thought that there was no difference in the type of foundation used. It’s cool that there are four types that can be used depending on the project and area you’re working in. I’ve only seen poured concrete while passing construction sites on my way to work.
I didn’t know they still used wood as a foundation type. That seems a little less sturdy. Since we live in a colder area I think that frost resistant foundation would be better for us. I’m not an expert so I’ll ask our future foundation contractors what they think. What foundation do you think is the most sturdy?
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I’m hoping to buy my first home in the next few years. I’m trying to learn as much about homes as possible. Thanks for letting me know about the four types of foundations that homes can have: poured concrete, frost resistant concrete, permanent wood, and raised foundations. It sounds like if you live in an area that can have some harsh winters having a frost resistant foundation can help reduce potential repairs and services that will be needed. I’ll keep that in mind as I start shopping around. Thanks.
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Its interesting hearing about FPSF, I did not know that frost could be so destructive if you do not take the right per cautions. That is when I got really interested in hearing and learning about insulated concrete. I would love to hear more about that. How is that slab of cement differ from the other slabs in order to create insulation?
I didn’t know that there were so many different types of foundation types. I thought that we all did the same slab of concrete and left it at that. I didn’t know that people still used wood as their foundation. I guess that it would make a lot of sense to have the right type of foundation for the home’s location.
We are hoping to build a new home soon and are just starting the planning process. I didn’t know that there were different types of foundations that we could use. Concrete sound like it will be the best option for out situation. Are there certain types of foundations that are required in certain locations? Thanks for this information!
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Thanks for the post. This is really helpful to understanding the different types of foundations. I think they all have their benefits depending on where you live. I agree that poured concrete is the most common type of foundation. I think it is probably the best options for most situations.
My husband wanted to know more about different concrete types. It makes sense to think that the choice of concrete depends on the condition of the soil. Our climate and soil permit the traditional poured concrete foundation which happens to be the foundation of our house. Good to know more about this topic, thanks.
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I think that raised concrete foundation is pretty interesting. It looks like it can be kind of tricky to build. Though it’s pretty awesome that it provides protection in areas where flooding is more common.
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