Real estate and construction: The different types of building foundations

While Steven Rindner, a Main Street Advisor, isn’t really hands-on when it comes to the construction of his projects, he still believes that the complete real estate developer has, at the very least, a grasp of the basics of most if not all facets of real estate development – construction included.

Today, he shares his knowledge on the different types of building foundations from his many projects in the New Jersey area.

Individual footings

The simplest and most common of building foundations, individual footings, are shallow foundations. The columns in these foundations have their own footings which will serve as the bearers of the building load.

Strip footings

Strip footings can be seen in load-bearing masonry projects. They are shallow as well, just like individual footings. The main difference here is that, instead of columns, walls are used to carry the load of the building.

Raft foundations

Another type of shallow foundation, raft foundations can be found mostly in low-rise structures with a basement. The flooring or slab of the basement bears the load of the building.

Pile foundations

As far as deep foundations go, pile foundations are the most used. The piles here are long shafts made either of steel, concrete, or sometimes wood. Pile foundations are used to carry high-rise structures, but have been known to be the foundations of low-rise building built on top of weak soil, Main Street Advisor Steven Rindner adds.