Your Dream Home Starts with a Good Foundation

Home ownership is one of the top American dreams that every family strives to accomplish, whether it's buying or building. Regardless as to which route you take to achieving this goal, one thing you should make certain of is that your dream home is sitting on a structurally sound foundation. It may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but getting the foundation right on any building project is incredibly important.


Importance of a Foundation
The foundation of a home or building is essential to the value and safety of the structure. At a minimum, a foundation must do three things well: 1) Support the structure above, 2) Keep out groundwater, and 3) Act as a barrier to water and soil vapor. That being said, Benz & Associates wants to to share with you three common foundations used in residential and commercial building projects in the Greater St. Louis Area, as well as some issues that could arise if the foundation is not structurally sound. Let's start with the three most common foundation styles.

Slab Foundation
A slab foundation is one of the most common types of foundations, requiring the least amount of lot prep to begin building. Installation is simple compared to other foundation-types, making slab foundations popular among homeowners for their relatively low price tag. Slab foundations minimize the risk of damage from flooding or the leaking of gasses such as radon from a basement or crawl space into the house. A slab can also protect a home from termites or other similar insects, as they have no open spaces underneath the house that would give them access to wooden joists or supports they could chew.

Crawlspace Foundation
Homes with a crawlspace foundation are elevated a few feet off the ground. Like a slab, a footing is poured, then blocks are laid to create the foundation to support the walls of the structure. Building a crawlspace foundation will save on cost compared to a basement, but not necessarily time, as they take about as much time to build as a full basement foundation. If the crawlspace is of adequate size, the heating and air conditioning duct work and plumbing can be installed in it and be easily maintained. Any required repairs to these systems will be less expensive due to better accessibility.

Basement Foundation
Basements are excellent for anchoring a property to the ground while extending the foundation below the area’s frost line, which helps maintain the integrity of the foundation over time. Basements are also great additions for other reasons too, such as providing room for extra space, energy efficiency, and they can make building on a sloping site easier.

Regardless of the type of foundation, if it is not properly done and begins to fail, many costly things can happen:
  • Cracks on the stucco or exterior wall finishing 
  • Separated block or brick joints
  • Windows or doors misaligned
  • Floor sagging or sloping
  • Cracks on the basement wall
  • Cracks on the flooring
Now that you know the three most common foundation types and what could happen if your foundation is not done correctly, hire the best concrete contractor in St. Louis to handle your foundation needs. Benz & Associates, LLC is a licensed and insured St. Louis foundation repair and construction services company focused on completing every project on time, and on budget. Our goal is to earn repeat business and referral business because that type of business is based off quality service and product. Everything we do is about quality and craftsmanship. Contact us for all of your concrete construction projects in the Greater St. Louis area!

Benz & Associates, LLC is Your St. Louis Trusted Concrete Company!


Benz & Associates, LLC
12804 Weber Hill Road
Saint Louis, MO 63127
www.BenzAndAssociates.com
Phone: (314) 393-8813
Fax: (314) 843-6427

Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

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