Different Types of Foundations Explained
Do you know the type of foundation your house was built on?
As a homeowner, it’s important to be familiar with your home’s foundation. By understanding what type of foundation structure it is, this will help you recognize and identify possible issues before they become more serious.
One of the first steps to getting a better understanding of your home’s foundation is to have it inspected by a foundation specialist.
“Inspections should be conducted on a regular basis by a home foundation specialist to determine if there are any issues that need resolving,” explains Julian Construction founder Julian De La Torre. “Some degree of foundation settlement will occur even under ideal weather and property conditions, especially if it is an older home. Detecting and repairing even minor cracks and damage from foundation settlement is extremely important and can prevent more serious problems that will require extensive and costly repairs.”
Most homes in California have been constructed with either a crawl space foundation, basement, pier and beam, or a slab foundation. Check out the differences of each type of foundation below:
- Crawl space: Crawl space foundations are foundations that have been built above the ground with roughly two feet of space, allowing for a person to crawl underneath.
- Basement: A basement is similar to a crawl space, except it has been constructed with more room. Basements are typically tall enough for a person to stand up in. These types of foundations are more common in areas that have extremely cold weather because the foundation needs to rest below the frost line.
- Pier and Beam foundation: A pier and beam foundation is a more expensive type of foundation that uses piers that are drilled down into the soil to rest the weight of the house on solid rock. These types of foundations are less likely to shift around because they are not sitting directly on soil.
- Slab foundation: Slab foundations are constructed using concrete slab. In these types of foundations, concrete is poured directly onto the ground in one solid piece. These types of foundations are much more cost-effective and efficient.
If you live in an area that has poor soil conditions, these foundations may need to be dug deeper in order to prevent settlement.
“When a foundation isn’t built properly or the soil that the foundation is constructed on expands and contracts, it can cause damage such as sloping floors, bowed walls, windows and doors that don’t open or close properly, cracks and other problems that can weaken the structure of your home,” says De La Torre.
If you think your home is in need of foundation repair, house leveling, foundation replacement and/or earthquake retrofitting, contact Julian Construction today and we will send one of our foundation specialists out to conduct a free, thorough inspection with a quote for repair.
We have extensive experience serving our Los Angeles community and nearby regions. In fact, Julian Construction has inspected over 30,000 structures in the area!
Julian Construction was formed in 1994 and our focus has always been on building and maintaining foundations, doing foundation repair and replacement, earthquake retrofitting, and house leveling.
When you work with Julian Construction, you get the principles of the company and the workers of Julian Construction under your home.
And in order to keep foundation repair affordable for our customers, we offer a price guarantee — because we know our quote for repair will represent your very best value.
Give us a call at (323) 733-3377 to schedule your free inspection or complete the inspection request form.
