13 Jun Importance of Strong Foundations in Building Construction
In the construction industry, there is one aim for every project and it’s a simple one: to construct a building that is strong and secure. When it comes to building construction, the strength of any building lies in its foundations, which is why it’s so crucial that you get the foundations right and understand why they are such a crucial element.
The main purpose of a building’s foundation is to hold the structure above it and ensure that the building remains upright. When a foundation is poorly constructed, it can post a serious risk to the inhabitants and the neighbourhood as a whole. The larger the building, the more powerful the foundation must be. Therefore it is essential that the foundations are always taken seriously when it comes to building construction.
Why does a building’s foundation play such a crucial role?
A buildings foundation has three crucial roles, these include supporting the load of the entire building, keeping the structure standing even when the elements wreak havoc and preventing the grounds moisture from seeping into the building. According to experts in construction the foundation of a property, any property, must be able to withstand the dead load and the live load combined.
The dead load is the weight of the structure itself, its called the dead load as it remains constant. While the live load is the weight of the people and objects in the house. The foundation of a property needs to be strong and firm and able to channel the entire weight of the building to the ground. If the building is being built on a sloping area or on moist ground the foundation must be customized to ensure that it remains as durable as necessary.
What can cause the need for foundation repair?
There are many instances where a buildings foundations may be compromised and require some structural support from ground beam contractors. These include when:
- The original foundation is no longer as strong or stable as it should be.
- The structures usage has changed, such as a domestic property being converted into a commercial one with higher footfall.
- The properties of the soil underneath the property has changed.
- To increase the amount of weight that the building can support safely.
- A natural disaster has rendered the foundation unsafe, such as a flood, earthquake or storm.
What happens if a building’s structure isn’t sound?
Occasionally, over time a buildings foundation can become damaged, which can make the building unsafe for use. For example the ground beam can become damaged rendering the foundations unsafe. However, there are plenty of steps that can be taken to fix a damaged foundation, such as building underpinning. This is a process of strengthening an existing structure by pinning its foundation in one position or another. While traditional underpinning is one of the most popular methods, it’s not the only one available.
There are beam and base underpinning, mini-piled underpinning, underpinning by expanding resin injection, there are various options to choose from. When it comes to strengthening the foundations of a building, there are also many options to choose from, it’s just a case of determining which is the best option for each individual building project.
Remember that if a building’s structure lacks stability, you may need to contact specialist contractors to deal with the issue. For instance, for mini piling structural support, you may need to contact mini piling contractors or for underpinning, you may need to contact underpinning contractors.
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