Load-bearing walls frequently have their foundations built on strips of concrete. The footing is occasionally even wider than the load-bearing wall and is typically twice as wide. The bearing capability of the foundation soil determines the width and type of reinforcement.
Although strip footing services in Sydney can be utilised with most subsoils, they work best with soil that has a reasonable amount of bearing capability. In low-rise or medium-rise household buildings, when mass concrete strip foundations can be used, they are particularly well adapted to light structural loadings. Other circumstances can call for reinforced concrete.
In general, the width of the wall is often connected to the size and placement of the strip foundations. Traditional strip foundations typically have a foundation width that is three times the supported wall’s width and a depth that is equal to or more than the entire wall width. As a result, the load is transferred from the base of the wall to the soil at a 45-degree angle.
The strip footing services need to have a deep enough underside to prevent frost action; for example, they should be at least 450 mm deep unless they are bearing on rock and at least 1 m deep on clays with a significant shrinkage rate.
Where soil has a deeper carrying capability, deep strip foundations may be required. Where the soil is soft or has a low bearing capacity, wide strip foundations may be necessary to distribute the weight across a broader area. Usually, wide strip foundations need to be reinforced.
