What is a "Footer?"

If you are having a home built, you may have heard this term and not realized what the builder was talking about. The "footer" refers to the underground support of your basement or foundation walls. Many times, this is not something the average homeowner ever sees, but it is the most important part of support, when it comes to your home and the way your foundation will settle. There are important width and depth requirements for the concrete footing that supports your basement walls. The concrete should be sturdy and mixed in the density that is required by building codes.

While many foundation inspections might include a "footer" inspection during new home construction, it is important that this is the case. If not, you will want to be sure and inspect it yourself, because a footer that is not wider than your basement walls and deep enough to add support with the ground around it is like building a basement wall on sand, it is going to lean or worse, as the weight of the home is built on top. Many times, homeowners won't see this important part of the foundation before backfill is put on top and around it. This is a process you should make sure is important to your builder and a question to ask if you are having a home built.

Most footings are supposed to be dictated by building code, but there are ways that some builders get around cheaper "footers", which take less concrete, depending on the scope of the foundation inspection. If it is inspected after completion, it is possible that they are only inspecting the internal appearance of the "footer" or the reverse. Most reputable builders will not skimp on this important building component, but sometimes there are ones that do. The other thing to consider is the composition of the land your home is being built on, so there are different "footer" recommendations and building codes in different parts of the country.

The general rule, when no building codes exist, is that the looser the ground the home is being built on, the wider and deeper the footer needs to be to give adequate support. Obviously, there is a difference in building a home into rock, than there is in sand. The idea of the concrete footing is to support the walls and balance them, giving them a foundation to rest securely on and to help distribute the load. You might think of a "footer" as the foundation for the foundation of your home. This is the reason it is so important.

Most building codes will require that footers are several inches, or over a foot wide and should be several inches or over a foot deep, with concrete that is very dense, for support. Some building codes will require concrete testing of the mix that is used to pour the "footer", so you can rest easier if you have strict building codes and inspection requirements in place. If not, it is a subject that should be approached with your builder and make sure that you understand the exact requirements and the planned specifications for your "footer", and it should all be spelled out in any contracts, when you are having a home custom built.

Caramel Recipe Books Cookie Recipe Culinary for Health