Building your own home is a super fun, exciting, and overwhelming process. You have so many decisions to make and an endless amount of choices to choose from for each decision. You are constantly making decisions from what color cabinets to pick to which door handles to use. One decision you probably are not making is “how strong should the foundation of my home be?”. That would be a pretty silly question, of course, you want a strong foundation! The foundation is where it all starts, it isn’t even a question that you want the best possible foundation on which to build from. The last thing you would want is to design and decorate a beautiful home, on a wonky foundation, that would just be asking for trouble down the line. If you are building your own home, you want it done right.
Just Starting Out? Things to Consider
You are putting the time, energy, and income into building your home. While your mind might be on the interior materials ie the crown molding, light fixtures, hardwood floors, large fireplaces, build in cabinets, and all the finishes, you need to start with a much bigger picture. When you have decided to build your dream home make sure you consider the following –
Location, Location, Location!
This goes far beyond a good neighborhood, in a good school district, close to everything you need… you need to think about the exact placement of your home. What plot of land do you actually want to build on.
For example, while you may think that building a house on top of a hill could be riskier, building a house at the bottom of a hill is actually much riskier. This is because the water flows down the hill right into the foundation of your home. A compromised foundation is a compromised house.
Resale Value
This might sound silly as you build your dream home, of course, you won’t want to move, what is the point of making your dream home if you just leave? But considering the location and designs and their effect on the resale value is important nonetheless. Priorities and needs change as you go through life gaining new experiences, growing a family, and retiring. Having a game plan for the eventual sale of the home is important to at least consider when you start your designing process.
The Materials
We aren’t talking about those finishes for your home. We are talking about the materials used to build the bones of your home, the structure that holds all those pretty finishes. If you use the best of the best on the outside you want the best of the best on the inside as well. This all starts at your foundation. Consider the following when discussing the foundation on which your home is built –
- Strength – The goal of a strong foundation is to withhold floods, high winds, earthquakes, impacts from debris, and erosion. So when you think of building your foundation you want the strongest, most durable option.
- Malleable – There also has to be a connection between the foundation and the rest of the structure of the house. The proper connection will anchor with the house and become more durable, you need a solution that allows you to both mold and builds up your foundation while still allowing you to manipulate it to allow for places to join the walls of the home to the foundation.
Why Concrete is Your Best Choice for Your Foundation
As previously mentioned, the material of the foundation is the most important choice to ensure a strong foundation. Concrete is your best option because:
- Strongest Construction Material – Concrete foundation is one of the most common bases for houses because it is the strongest construction material. Concrete is super durable. Concrete is less likely to rot or rust in humid weather.
- Withstand Extreme Temperatures – Concrete can withstand high temperatures, up to 910 degrees Celsius. This is even better than steel which is also commonly used for house foundations.
- Energy Efficient – Energy efficiency is a great addition to any home. Concrete can absorb and retain heat, helping keep your house at the perfect temperature, helping you save money on your electric bills.
- Low Maintenance – After putting in an immense amount of work to build your house, the last thing you want is to constantly be checking, maintaining, and updating your home. Low maintenance is important so you can finally enjoy your space. Concrete foundations are low maintenance because they can withhold so many weather conditions.
- Better with Age – Concrete, unlike most materials, actually gets stronger as it’s used. Concrete can get up to ten percent stronger over its time under your house, no matter the weather or temperature.
- Handles More Moisture – Texas soils can be damaging to construction materials, and concrete does a good job of standing its own compared to the moist soil.
- Liquid to a Solid – As we mentioned earlier, you need a material that will allow you to build off of it and a material that can mold to the posts you create for your walls. Concretes exact nature allows you to do so.
It is no wonder concrete is one of the most used materials in the world, with all of its different features it is the best option for a lot of construction projects. Its unique features make it the perfect material for a house foundation.
Tyler Texas Concrete: Your Concrete Foundation Partners
When you want your home built the right way. Start at the base. Having a strong foundation for your house is the foundation your family will need to enjoy your new home. Hire Tyler Texas Concrete to start your home building process on the right foot.