If you are getting estimates for a new garage, ask about the foundation. There are two common types, either of which will satisfy code requirements in most communities. If you choose the less ...

Q. I’m not very good at reading blueprints. On the ones for my new home, the architect has drawn a step footing. Is this an accepted way to put in a foundation? Why can’t the footer ...

The levels of the steps in a footer can be critical. If the foundation walls are being constructed with concrete block, you want the steps to be some multiple of eight inches, as a typical ...

Q. I’m thinking of a career in new home construction and know very little. One of the things I don’t fully understand is the foundation footer. I’m also stumped about piers. What ...

If you have water leaking into your garage, ... sealing the foundation wall on the outside of the garage with an appropriate water-repelling caulk can often cure the leak for good. 6.

But a footer, because it’s wider than the foundation wall, displaces this weight over a much larger area. A footer also creates a level surface on which the foundation contractor can set his forms.

Q: I stopped by my home construction site to take photos the night before the foundation footer was going to be poured. I saw several white pipes inside the forms and wondered what they were for.