A Foundation is Forever

There are two major types of foundations used in the Florida and South Georgia markets. There are the Monolithic Foundations and the Stem-Wall Foundation.

Monolithic foundations are the most common type of foundation used in new home construction. This type of foundation is popular with builders because of the reduced construction time and somewhat lower costs of installation. The monolithic foundation is basically where the slab and footings are installed at the same time in one (mono) continuous pour, resulting in quicker construction time and thus less cost. The monolithic foundation is placed in one pour and the walls of the new home are placed directly on top of the slab.

Stem-Wall Foundations involve the placement of a concrete footing below grade, a concrete block “stem-wall” to just above grade, and then the slab is placed on compacted fill dirt inside the perimeter of the foundation wall. This type of foundation, when used in concrete block construction, allows the exterior structural walls to extend all the way — from the footing to the top of the wall. 

This distinction between foundation types is crucial in the state of Florida where major tropical storms and hurricanes can result in water intrusion. Most homes constructed using the monolithic foundation had problems with wind-driven rain from storms pushing water through “hair-line” cracks in the exterior walls, when normal maintenance wasn’t done to by inspecting, sealing cracks and repainting on a regular schedule, but stem-wall foundations allow any water that may penetrate the walls to “flow-out” through the stem wall foundation leaving the living space dry.

If you are looking for a new foundation and have any questions give us a call for a free inspection and estimate of your project!