Commercial building foundations are more susceptible to failure and wear and tear than residential foundations because of the enormous amount of pressure that is exerted on them at all times. One way to counteract this type of pressure is by using anchor systems that help distribute and hold up the weight. Even if the commercial building is relatively new, that does not mean the foundation is in the best condition, or it doesn’t mean in the future you won’t run into problems. It is better to stop a problem before it ever happens than to wait for the foundation to fail.
With new construction, this presents the best time possible to support the foundation being made for the commercial building. This is also the easiest time to install anchor support systems onto a foundation because the slab itself is completely exposed. This will save contractors money from having to do it in the future and will show that the contractor knows exactly what they are doing when building large-scale commercial construction.
If you have a preexisting building that you believe is suspect to a foundation failure or your believe that the building itself is not level, you can call your commercial foundation service company (such as a drilling New York company) to inspect the foundation. They will be able to tell you what condition the slab is in, and can give you different options in supporting it so that the building will be safe for decades to come. The installation process is fast, and it will not cause a lot of mess because of the method of installing helical anchors below the foundation itself. Jacking up specific floors in buildings can also be done in a budget-friendly manner, and this process will not create any mess in the building’s interior.
Commercial buildings are massive pieces of construction that sit on only one foundation. This foundation, no matter what kind, should be properly reinforced during construction, and anchored off so that it will stay level through its entire life. If you have a building being constructed, or an old building that needs help, call your foundation specialist right away for an evaluation.
Concrete is strong, more resilient, easy to mould when wet, and inexpensive. To make a concrete slab, all you need is to prepare a wooden frame shaped in the same way as the shape you would want the concrete to take. You then excavate a hole for the foundation and place your frame inside the hole. Pour the concrete when still wet into this frame. The result is a concrete slab. You can reinforce the slab with steel to make sure it is more robust and can withstand greater force or weight.
The following are the three commonly used commercial building foundation types.
1. T- Shaped concrete foundation.
This type of commercial building foundation is the most commonly used. It is ideal when the aim is to support tall buildings where the ground usually freezes. In normal circumstances, frozen grounds exert high pressure on the foundation. This T- Shaped foundation is, however, unique in design as it resists any potential damage from frozen grounds. You would usually place a part of flat footing just below the normal frost line and build walls on top.
The walls are not as narrower than the footings. This provides the added level of support needed at the base of the building. The inverted T shape of the final structure when viewed in cross section gives the building its name. On top of its resistance to the effects of freezing ground, the foundation also provides overall stability.
2. Slab-on-grade foundation.
This commercial foundation type is also widely used. It is often used in places where there is no ground freezing. There is, therefore, no need for the T-shaped foundation. In this type of foundation, the slab is made of a one layer of several-inch-thick concrete.
3. Frost Protected Shallow Foundation.
This type of commercial foundation is employed to counter the effects that would be caused by frost. The foundation has insulation placed on the outside of the foundation. It utilizes heat loss from the building itself as well as the natural heat energy from the earth. A Frost Protected Shallow Foundation (FPSF) can be anywhere between twelve and sixteen inches below grade.
This means that it can greatly reduce your costs of excavation, making it both a good preventative and economical alternative against damage from freezing. While predominantly used in Scandinavian countries (there are over 1 million homes in Sweden, Finland, and Norway with FPSF), there are about 5,000 buildings in the United States that have used FPSF successfully.