Preparing a Foundation for a House

If you are planning to start a construction project, be very careful when setting up the foundation. Success of any construction project, be it a single story residential unit or a multistory commercial building, relies heavily on the care and effort that goes into properly preparing the site, its layout, and setting up the foundation. There are several types of foundations used when constructing different kinds of buildings. The most popular type of foundation used in the construction of houses is a concrete slab. Follow the process stated below to lay your own concrete slab foundation.

Determine the dimensions of your foundation

Start by determining the length, width and thickness of your foundation.

Preparing the Ground

Once you have determined the dimensions of the foundation, prepare the ground to install it. Clear the ground by cutting trees and removing large stones or concrete slabs if any. Then dig out a space that is twice the desired thickness of your foundation. The purpose of excavation is to remove the surface soil and expose compacted soil that can to bear the load of the house.

After excavating the area, again clear the ground, removing any large stones, roots and branches of trees and other such things from the soil. Then level and compact the soil and place an even layer of sand or gravel over the area. Do not compact the sand layer, allow it to remain loose. Cover the layer of sand or gravel with some waterproof sheet, such as polyethylene membrane. This will keep moisture from seeping up when you will place the concrete slab.

Building the Frame

Next, create a wooden frame equal to the perimeter of the excavated area, and add screed rails on the exterior and opposite sides of the perimeter of the site. Support the screed rails with the help of metal stakes. Now lay a straightedge across the area of the wooden frame, resting it on the screed rails in such a way that the bottom of the straightedge sits at the level where the top of the concrete slab will be.

Pouring the Concrete

Now mix the concrete following the package instructions and pour it into the frame. As the concrete mixture will fill the wooden frame, the straightedge will automatically slide across the rails to set the wet concrete. Once the concrete foundation is complete and leveled, remove the straightedge and screed rails.

Finishing Up

Fix any flaws in the concrete house foundation using your hand or power trowels. Make sure you remove the flaws while the concrete is still wet.

Your concrete slab foundation is now ready – allow it to dry completely before you proceed.