|
The main principle to keep in mind when building a foundation is that ‘a safe house must have a strong foundation’. The entire weight of the house is dependent on the ground and soil that is underneath it. Foundations should be made extra stronger in situations where the soil is weak. Another situation where foundations should be stronger is when the design of the house includes more than one floor. Sometimes the building could be built on material other than soil; for example, it could be clay, sand or rock. In such cases, appropriate foundations should be designed. When laying out soil for the foundation of the house, make sure it is drained properly and does not have any water content. Soil that contains water can liquefy in case of an earthquake and as a result, make the entire structure sink into the ground. For example, when a house is being built on a swampy area that has a lot of water content, foundations should be built with extra care. You should not dig the foundation trench and fill it up with water and let the workers put in more sand and cement into the mixture and then lay out a row of blocks above this mixture. If you do this, you are laying a foundation in soil that is permanently wet. A house built on such a foundation will be very dangerous in times of natural hazards. Sometimes, bad locations can also be difficult for strong foundations. Locating a house close to a river for example where water is continuously running, can be prone to flooding. In such situations, the houses as well as its commodities are vulnerable to destruction. It is advisable to avoid building houses in such obviously vulnerable locations. Yet, if you have no choice, the designing and foundation of the house must be done with great care. For instance, proper damp proofing should be done in order to avoid rising damp through damp walls. Sometimes you should expect the unexpected. Furthermore, the bricks used for laying out the foundation should be durable and of a consistent size. The shape of the stone should be more rectangular than rounded so that they can be bound firmly. Lastly, no empty spaces should be left unfilled between stones and covered up with mortar and other such materials.
Related Articles -
Damp, Damp proofing, Damp walls,
|
