Stabilizing

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  Building Stem Wall Foundations (Subscriber content)

  Keeping foundations in-house can make scheduling easier and improve job quality

   
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  Foundation Footing Fundamentals

  Concrete expert Brent Anderson explains the code rules and structural issues surrounding foundation footings. Included are discussions of when and where to place rebar and what to do if a footing is poured slightly out of place.

   

• Tying In a New Foundation (Subscriber content)

  A builder describes his proven method for adding a full-height basement to a crawlspace foundation.

   

• Practical Engineering: Concrete and Steel -- An Effective Partnership (Subscriber content)

  Rebar recommendations

   

• Q&A: Is Rusty Rebar OK?

  Q: All of the foundation specs we build on require rebar to be free of rust and mill scale. For years this hasn’t been an issue, until recently when a project manager called us on it. All we can think to do is wire brush the entire lot of rebar. Is this really necessary?

   

• Rebar Tips (Subscriber content)

  Steel reinforcing bar is essential for strong concrete. A foundation contractor explains the fine points of proper sizing, handling, and placement of rebar.

   

• Fast Forming for Stepped Footings (Subscriber content)

  A builder describes shortcuts he developed to simplify and speed up the forming of stepped footings.

   

• Case In Point: Avoiding Classic Cracks (Subscriber content)

  All cracked up.

   

• Keep It Simple: Foundations for Additions (Subscriber content)

  Low-cost alternatives to full basements can serve you well on additions and small structures.

   

• Foundations: Structural Basics (Subscriber content)

  In the first of a three-part series on structural basics, designer Paul Hanke lays out the fundamentals of engineering residential foundations.