Foundations are an integral part of any building, and considerable care and skill is required to install a foundation that will last for many years. Designing and building a good foundation starts well before the concrete is poured, though. A good concrete foundation starts with proper excavation.
A foundation for a commercial building will need to support hundreds of thousands of pounds, while also being level, staying dry and resisting weather changes like summer heat and freezing ground. The foundation itself also weighs many tons. For a foundation to withstand the stress, the ground must be carefully excavated and prepared, and that takes much more than simply digging a trench.
Every building site has unique characteristics that must be considered when preparing to build a foundation. Soil stability, water tables, moisture and even the backfill quality all need to be taken into consideration for each foundation. Sites that have a high water table may require tightly compacted cobbles for a base to protect the foundation from water damage, for example, while sites with loose soil may require compacting or additional aggregate material to form a solid base for the foundation.
An experienced and skilled excavator is able to identify potential problems like water tables or soil stability and take the necessary steps to prepare the ground for a foundation. Having the skill and experience to address the unique characteristics of each building site prevents future problems with the foundation like sagging, separating or cracking.
The civil division at R.G Smith Company employs a tactical approach to each and every foundation. We have excavated and poured many commercial concrete foundations throughout the Ohio region, and bring decades of experience to each job site. Contact us today at our Canton office by calling 330-456-3415 or in Mansfield at 419-524-4778 to learn how our expertise can save you both time and money on your building project.
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