HOME FOUNDATION MISTAKES

House FOUNDATION is an essential part of #newconstruction that should be done with a great due diligence to be capable to bear the load of the house in the future.

It doesn't matter if the house is built of wood or concrete blocks, the concrete base should still be installed according to the up-to-date codes and regulations, especially in the windstorm zones.

Be careful with using ONLY CHAIRS to support the grid

However, we can often witness various mistakes in the house foundation installation process.

🚫 One of the MOST POPULAR mistakes is to use ONLY CHAIRS to support the rebar grid.

Why does it have such a wide usage and may cause a problem in the future?

Let's dig in.

1. Subcontractors use chairs because it is relatively cheap. One bag of GripRite Chairs (500 pcs) is about $40. On average, this one bag is enough for 2,500-3,000 sq.ft. foundation area.

2. These chairs are usually made of plastic, which is not a big of a deal since we aware of some polymer rebar used in #newconstruction as well. Nevertheless, here is where the problem may occur. While the rebar grid by itself is steady on these chairs, the concrete, on the other hand, is several times heavier than rebars. And now imagine the thousands of pounds of the concrete liquid being pored over the little tiny plastic chairs! Do you think they stay in place? - No.

3. Moreover, have you ever seen how the workers actually "INSTALL" the #concrete? They walk inside the #foundation form-work to spread the concrete that is being poured, i.e. they WALK ON REBAR GRID that is SUPPORTED by these plastic chairs. The CHAIRS constantly break and crack because an average worker doesn’t see them through the concrete unless s/he has some magical skills.

4. In the end, the grid is pushed to the bottom of the #slabongrade foundation, and it doesn't function as a supporting and holding concrete grid anymore. Later on, people can see foundation cracks here and there and scratch their head: "Why does my foundation crack if it is a new house?"

Be SMART and hire a reliable #founcationcontractor to avoid the possible problems in the future.

#buildsmarter #houstonnewconstruction #houstoncustomhomes #bayareacontractor #bayareaconstruction