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Building
a Foundation
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The essence of a good home
is a good foundation. Most homes built in the Pocono Mountains
have foundations built with cinder block, concrete block, or poured
concrete. All are built on concrete footers that are 16 to 24
inches wide and 8 inches thick. Footers are always placed below
the frost line.
Few homes in the Poconos are built on a concrete
slab. Most homes have foundations built on a crawl space or a
full basement. A crawl space foundation usually is three to five
feet high - five to seven courses of block. A full basement usually
is built with twelve courses of block providing a full eight foot
height.
Cinder and concrete blocks come in three widths,
8 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch. Each block is 16 inches in length
and eight inches in height. Blocks can be solid or ribbed. Full
basements are usually built with 12 inch blocks, while crawl spaces
are usually built with eight or ten inch blocks. The top course
of block on every foundation should be solid termite blocks.
A full basement is built with a four inch concrete
floor poured over crushed stone and a vapor barrier.
The latest technology in building foundations
are precast concrete wall panels. The panels are set on a bed
of compacted crushed stone, which serves as a bearing layer as
well as a drainage control system under the foundation. Once in
place, the panels are bolted together at the top and bottom, and
sealed with a gun-applied adhesive-sealant. Then the four inch
concrete floor is poured. Under normal conditions, the average
foundation can be installed in less than a day.
The precast concrete foundation may be the way
of the future. However, the public still has not fully embraced
this concept, so its time is still yet to come.
For more information about building a new home
and the different types of foundations to consider please do not
hesitate in contacting Mountain
View Homes in Greentown.
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