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When dealing with light wood frame construction, there are a numberof ways that a building can meet the ground

slab-on-grade

crawlspace

basement

foundation

footings

foundation

walls

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Footings

Footings serve to distribute the

loads applied to the foundationwalls to the surrounding soil.

Their required width depends onthe stability and load-bearing

capacity of the soil.

Foundation walls

Foundation walls carry verticalloads to the footings, and resist

lateral hydrostatic and soil loads.

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Foundation walls Foundation walls

Foundation walls Foundation walls

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Slabs-on-grade Slabs-on-grade

Slabs-on-grade Slabs-on-grade

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Slabs-on-grade Slabs-on-grade

Crawlspaces Crawlspaces

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Crawlspaces Crawlspaces

Crawlspaces Basements

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Basements Basements

Control of water

Most should beencouraged to flow away

from the building thoughappropriate grading.

Soil below grade directlyadjacent to the buildingshould be very porous to

permit water to run down tothe footing level and intoperimeter drains, where it is

usually carried away by gravity.

Surface water:

Control of water

Groundwater:

Water adjacent to thebuilding below grademust also be carried away

by gravity through theperimeter drains.

A high water table is often

difficult to address by gravity,and may require tanking of thefoundation in conjunction with

pumping of accumulated water.

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Perimeter drains

Typically made of perforated pipe,perimeter drains are installed belowthe lowest floor level, often adjacent

to the foundation footings.

These drains remove water away

from the building, usually by gravityflow, and direct it to a local or

municipal sewer system.