Can you build a house without foundations?

So, Can You Build a House Without a Foundation? The simple answer is that of course, you can — as long as you don't need it to stand for long. Historically, houses without foundations have tended to be simple affairs, built around an earth floor, which weren't designed to last.

underpin.com - Can You Build a House Without a Foundation? | Underpin & Makegood

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Can You Build a House Without a Foundation?

Posted at 15:55h in by admin in News

We assume that any building needs a foundation. It’s so obvious that we use it widely as a metaphor — the foundation of arguments, beliefs, organisations and so on. The foundation is what makes anything safe and secure. So can you really build a house without a foundation?

What Is the Foundation For?

So, Can You Build a House Without a Foundation? The simple answer is that of course, you can — as long as you don’t need it to stand for long. Historically, houses without foundations have tended to be simple affairs, built around an earth floor, which weren’t designed to last. Although a building may be able to support the downward thrust of its load without a foundation, it’s the sideways motion that creates the problem. As the ground changes temperature with the seasons, it expands and contracts, causing instabilities that make the building lurch. This means that, unless it’s built on a rock so solid that there’s no variation, stability depends on having the structure’s base resting on a level deep enough to maintain a constant temperature. This should ensure that lateral movement is kept to a minimum.

Are There Houses Without Foundations?

Substantial buildings have been successfully constructed without what might be thought adequate foundations. Perhaps the best known is Salisbury Cathedral, built on marshy ground, which supports a spire on foundations of just four feet depth. This can be achieved by building on a “raft” in soft ground, which acts in a similar way to traditional foundations, but it’s not an easy technique to get right. Other types of buildings that can be created without foundations are those built on piles or stilts. This usually happens on flood plains or marshy coastal areas, but these homes do actually have foundations, if not traditional ones. Here, the weight is distributed down through the piles to a stable level, essentially doing the same job as a more standard foundation, with the added load capacity created by ‘skin friction’. Although you’re unlikely to have a home today without any support, some older houses were built with shallow foundations. Other houses may have had what seemed adequate foundations, but subsidence or other movement has weakened them. In these cases, the foundations of an existing building can be extended down to a more stable level. This is known as underpinning and can be done either by excavating below the existing foundations or by sinking piles to transfer the weight to a safe level. If you have any concerns about whether the foundations of your home are adequate to support its weight, you’re very welcome to get in touch with us.

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Where in the world can I retire on 1000 a month?

Places to retire overseas on $1,000 per month: Chiang Rai, Thailand. Corozal, Belize. Cuenca, Ecuador.

money.usnews.com - The Cheapest Places to Retire Abroad on $1,000 Per Month

Corozal, Belize

Northern Belize offers a rare chance to blend an oceanfront lifestyle with conveniences and a low cost of living. Belize is English-speaking, as little as three hours flying time from the southern United States and sunny and warm year-round. Corozal gets less than half the rainfall seen in the rest of the country and is just 10 miles from Chetumal in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Living here, you could easily hop across the border for shopping and access to amenities not available in Belize, including entertainment options and medical care. If you live like a local and settle in a village, your rent and overall cost of living could be very low. You could rent a two-bedroom apartment or home for as little as $400, and then add another $400 per month for food and transportation.