Footings

Footings are an important component to any building foundation. Forethought and preparation can save you from costly repair work later.

Under every house is a foundation, and under most foundations are footings. Most of the time we take footings for granted, and usually we can: For typical soils, a common 20-24 -inch-wide by 16” deep footing can more than handle the relatively light weight of an ordinary house.

On the other hand, if you build on soft clay soil or if there's a soft zone under part of your foundation, there can be trouble. A footing that performs well in good soil may not do so well in weak bearing conditions, therefore, in some cases piers holes are required and are dug until good soil is found.