A BRIEF GUIDE TO FOUNDATIONS

Simple Foundations

The two most common forms of simple foundations that we use in Basingstoke, Epsom and the surrounding areas include:

Strip Foundation – This type of foundation installation involves placing as little solid concrete into trenches as possible, although it must have a minimum thickness of 250mm. Our groundwork contractors then build up to ground level with blockwork, where the walls duly switch to brick, stone or the chosen external cladding.

Trench-Fill Foundation – This type of foundation installation involves a greater amount of concrete laying. In fact, we fill the trenches with concrete to just below ground level. We then add a damp-proof course before fixing the ground floor onto the footings.

Engineered Foundations

In some cases, the ground at sites in Basingstoke and the neighbouring areas represents a challenge for foundation installations and associated groundworks like drainage preparation. When these situations arise, our groundwork contractors tend to dig deeper, usually to around 2.5m, to find more stable ground before installing much deeper foundations.

Any depth below this not only becomes a false economy due to the prohibitively expensive nature of concrete laying, but it also holds far more danger.

In these cases, the foundation installation usually takes one of the following forms:

Piled Foundations – The more common of the deeper foundations, piled designs have become an increasingly popular choice as their costs remain predictable. This helps with budgeting for other aspects of work like drainage preparation. The installation process involves driving piles into the ground, filling them with concrete and topping them off with a ground beam platform on which further construction takes place.

Raft Foundations – As its name suggests, a raft foundation involves the laying of a concrete raft designed to ‘float’ on the ground below it. The structure consists of an incredibly thick floor slab that has additional strength thanks to steel reinforcement. As an added benefit, this foundation installation also provides solutions for ground floors, not only wall trenching.

For high-quality foundation installation, drainage preparation, concrete laying and all manner of groundworks in the Basingstoke region, please don’t hesitate to speak with a member of our team.