A person while constructing a home try to ensure that the durability and the quality of the material are not compromised. These elements ensure that a house or a commercial building is resilient to the exogenous factors which can have deteriorating impacts on the strength and structure of the building. People invest their life savings in constructing a house which is nonetheless an asset for them; from the experiences of our daily life people have been seen complaining that a contractor has not used the materials or applied the modern architectural techniques for laying strong foundations of the house.
Graana.com through this blog brings forward various practices which can prove useful in strengthening the foundations of an adobe which can increase the durability of a structure. Although the domain of structural engineering has achieved new heights which have become a complete prerogative of professionals, however, there are certain steps that a person can monitor by himself.
Inspecting the Site
The first and the foremost thing that can help in laying the strong foundations of a home is by selecting the proper site with the help of different types of soil testing. This step is important to consider since the terrain of land varies from area to area. Some soil beds are rocky while some differences in composition for example rocks, mud and other major components can be varying. In some of the cases, the plots are developed by levelling the ground using a combination of materials which can include rock, dirt and sometimes the remaining construction materials. In the language of layman, such a plot is known as ‘filled plot’. Thus, one should be very careful in this aspect and should go for soil testing which helps to bring about a clear picture of the ground. The inspection of soil will give a rough idea for using the quantity and quality of the construction material.
Load Distribution
Once the site is inspected, the next step can be pertaining to the load distribution of the superstructure. This is an important step while constructing a building since load distribution can play an important role in strengthening the structure. The load distribution majorly depends on the soil report which has been obtained after the soil report. Depending on the nature of the soil the foundations of the building are divided into two types -shallow foundations and deep foundations. Shallow foundations commonly known as footings are usually kept one meter in the soil. The material used in spread footings should not be compromised as it helps to transfer the load from walls to the soil. Deep foundations help to transfer the weight of the building from the weakest layer of the soil to the strongest layer which can be useful for those where the soil is weak.
Anti-Termite Treatment
Anti-termite treatment is also another step for making solid foundations. The termite treatment is necessary before laying down a foundation since it increases the lifetime of a building. If the anti-termite treatment is not applied it can prove detrimental for wooden structures and even it can hamper the interior of a home once the construction is completed. The anti-termite treatment provides a chemical barrier against the termites that are present underground. This job is performed by specialists as it requires the study of the soil before applying the chemicals in which foundation trenches and pit are exposed to anti-termite chemicals.
Using the Right Method
Depending on the soil composition various techniques or foundation types are used for construction purposes. For increasing the durability of the foundations, it is necessary that those styles of foundations should be constructed which are advised by a structural engineer. For example, a raft foundation will be deployed where the soils have low bearing capacity. The raft foundation helps to divide the load per unit area which is bored by the ground, the load of a structure is spread over a large base
Selection of Materials
Structures are meant to stay for a longer period of time, the buildings should be built such that they withhold natural disaster for this purpose selecting the right material for the foundations is very necessary. Top-quality materials should be used while the construction of the foundation; it is advised by the structural engineers that decay-resistant materials should be used moreover the right number of substances should be used for making concrete. The aggregates should be used as per the requirements of a sieve and the right proportions should be used.
