In the foundation stage, construction of concrete footing is very important. Footings are commonly made of concrete. The footings are reinforced with steels on the trench made for the foundation of construction. Footings are used in the construction industry to support the foundation and also to prevent the foundation from setting. If you are constructing a building in problematic soil then you must use concrete footing for the house. For a normal size house footing of 16 or 20 inches is commonly used.
Different types of concrete footings for house are used for different soil types and quality. Based on the quality of the soil decide the width, depth and the proper place for setting the concrete footing. The footings size also depends on the type and size of the structure for which the footings are to be used. Placing the footing on the correct position is very important. The proper support of the foundation and structure are decided based on the position of the footings.
Concrete footings for a house:
The footing is used for all types of construction projects like a deck, retaining wall and pergola. T-Shaped footing, slab-on-grade footing, and frost protected footing are the commonly used footing type used in most of the countries.
Types of concrete footings for house extensions:
1. T-Shaped Footing:
T-shaped footings are normally used to support the building where ground freezes. The footing is placed below the freezing surface. The size of the footing is greater than the wall size of the building to extra support for the base. After the footing is cured, walls are constructed above that and then the slabs are fitted in between them.
2. Slab-on-grade foundation:
To form Integral footing, the slabs are made thick at the edges. In this type of footing single slab layer is used for the support. The thickness of the slab differs based on the construction type and size. To add extra strength for the foundation reinforced rods are used at the edges. For proper drainage systems, the slabs are fitted above the gravels. Normally crushed gravels are used as the bed for the slab. Cracking is the main problem in concrete surfaces. Wire mesh is used to prevent the slabs from the crack. This footing doesn’t suit the freezing surface but with extra insulation, it can be used in the freezing area also. The slab-on-grade is a single piece and monolithic.
3. Frost structure type:
This type of footing is used for the heating surface. Polystyrene insulation which is rigid in nature is used in this type of footing. Two insulation sheets are used for this frost structure type to prevent frost. One polystyrene insulation sheet is placed outside or on the exterior surface of the foundation wall and the other insulation, the sheet is placed on the base of the foundation.
The heat on the base of the surfaces is held with the help of this insulation sheet and the edges prevent the loss of heat. The heat stored by the sheet helps to keep the structure warm. Frost structure type has more benefits and is used widely when compared with slab-on-grade foundation.
