Concrete Foundations in St. Louis, MO
Building Strong from the Ground Up
At St. Louis Concrete Works, we understand that a strong foundation is the key to all structures. With our experience with concrete foundations, we ensure that your project begins with a solid foundation, whether it is a new house, a commercial building, or an addition to your current property. We have expertise in dealing with the specific geotechnical characteristics of the Gateway City and the expansive clay soils found throughout this area. Therefore, when creating a foundation, we use high-strength, air-entrained concrete and precise reinforcement to create a foundation that will remain level and crack-free due to the seasonal fluctuations found throughout the Midwest.
We follow all applicable local St. Louis building codes as they pertain to the location of footings. Typically, footings are required to be located at least 30 inches below the finished grade to remain below the frost line. The purpose of this requirement is to prevent frost heaving and the resulting structural damage that may occur during the harsh winter months experienced throughout Missouri. Whether you need a complete basement pour, a T-shaped foundation, or a reinforced slab, we manage each step of the process with precision and care. Additionally, we begin by incorporating moisture management and proper drainage into the foundation design so that the foundation remains dry, secure, and long-lasting for a lifetime.
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Why Quality Foundations Matter in St. Louis
In our region, the foundation is more than just a base; it is a critical defense system against the environmental pressures unique to the Midwest. A substandard pour can lead to costly structural failures, which is why we prioritize engineering over shortcuts.
- Clay Soil Management: St. Louis’s clay-rich soil is difficult to work with due to the expansive nature of the clay. The clay is affected by moisture, swelling when wet and shrinking when dry. This creates an incredible amount of pressure on the foundation walls of homes built on this type of soil, which is why we use specially designed reinforced steel to reinforce the foundation walls and special backfilling techniques for all of our projects.
- Frost Protection: St. Louis is also prone to extreme weather conditions, including extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter. With our footing being placed at least 30 inches below grade (the frost line), we can protect against the upward movement of the foundation walls resulting from the expansion of frozen groundwater commonly referred to as frost heave. Frost heave has been a problem with many shallower foundations throughout the state of Missouri.
- Waterproofing Systems: Properly constructed foundations are the key to avoiding water damage and basement flooding. At Foundation Repair Solutions, we have developed advanced waterproofing membrane systems along with the most efficient perimeter drainage systems available (French Drains) to handle the heavy hydrostatic pressure put upon a foundation during one of St. Louis’s heavy spring rains.
- Structural Integrity: A properly constructed foundation will provide the structural integrity needed to support every other aspect of the building above it. From the door frame to the roof truss, every component relies on a solid level base. As part of our services, we offer precision laser leveling to ensure that your structure remains square and prevents the issues that arise from a settling foundation, such as sticking doors and cracks in the drywall.
- Energy Efficiency: In addition to providing structural support, a well-designed foundation can also improve energy efficiency within the home. Using high-density concrete along with proper thermal breaks, we are able to maintain a consistent temperature within the lower levels of your home. This reduces the workload on your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system during the hot and humid July days and the extremely cold January days here in St. Louis.
Our Concrete Foundation Services
We offer a full range of foundation solutions designed to provide a secure and permanent base for any structure. In St. Louis, where soil movement and frost are constant factors, we prioritize structural engineering and moisture management to ensure your building remains stable and dry for a lifetime.
Residential Foundations
- New Homes: We construct new full basement or slab foundations with a focus on integrity to ensure compliance with local St. Louis building codes and frost-depth requirements.
- Home Additions: We connect the new footings to the original structure of the house while maintaining a level transition and providing long-term stability for the addition to the home.
- Garage Foundations: Heavy-duty, reinforced garage slabs are engineered to support vehicle weight as well as withstand the cracking due to the freeze-thaw cycle of St. Louis winters.
- Basements: Poured-wall foundation construction is our specialty and provides superior water resistance and structural strength when compared to traditional block walls.
Commercial Foundations
- Office Buildings: Precision engineering of footing and stem-wall systems to support multiple-story loads and modern architectural requirements.
- Retail Spaces: Durable slab-on-grade foundations that provide a perfectly level base for high-traffic flooring and heavy retail fixtures.
- Warehouse Foundations: Industrial-strength, reinforced concrete floors are constructed to withstand extreme point loads and constant machinery traffic without settlement.
- Industrial Facility Foundations: Specialized deep foundations and heavy equipment pads are constructed to withstand the vibrations from large equipment and massive structural weights.
Types of Concrete Foundations We Offer
We provide a variety of foundation systems tailored to the specific weight loads of your structure and the geological conditions of your St. Louis site. Our engineers ensure that every pour meets the 30-inch minimum frost depth requirement while accounting for the high clay content found throughout the Missouri River valley.
T-Shaped Foundations
The T-shaped foundations are generally good options when the frost line is deep, as they are commonly found in St. Louis. The T-shaped foundation consists of a footing placed below the frost line, which has a reinforced stem wall above it. The T-shaped footings distribute the weight of the structure over a much larger surface area of soil; this distribution makes them very resistant to frost heaving and settling.
Slab-on-Grade Foundations
A slab-on-grade foundation is typically a less expensive way to build a house when there will be no basement (i.e., garage, workshop, etc.), or when building a newer slab-style home. A slab-on-grade is essentially a large, single layer of concrete that is thicker on all sides to function as its own footing. When constructing a slab-on-grade in the St. Louis area, we always install a high-quality vapor barrier and steel mesh to help minimize moisture and crack issues from local soil movement.
Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations
A frost-protected shallow foundation is a great option for heated buildings because, by strategically installing layers of rigid polystyrene foam around the perimeter, we create a “thermal trap” to keep geothermal heat beneath the slab. This type of installation allows us to create a shallower pour that still protects the foundation from winter frost heaving.
Basement Foundations
A basement foundation provides you with additional livable space and a solid base for multi-story homes. To create our basement foundations, we use advanced techniques that allow us to construct poured walls that are stronger and have better water-resistance than traditional block walls. All of our basement foundation installations come complete with professional-grade waterproofing and perimeter drainage systems to protect your basement from the high hydrostatic pressures of St. Louis’ rainy seasons.
Crawl Space Foundations
Crawl space foundations offer an option between a slab and a complete basement as they have built-up, short reinforced walls that raise the home above the grade, allowing the space under the house to be used for plumbing and HVAC systems. Crawl space foundations allow us to address a common issue associated with crawl space foundations, such as excessive moisture from the surrounding soils of the St. Louis area, by installing quality vapor barriers and proper ventilation to minimize the potential of wood rot or mold.
Pier and Beam Foundations
Pier and beam foundations are specifically designed to handle properties located in sloping areas or areas where the top layer of soil is highly unstable (such as in many areas of St. Louis). This type of foundation utilizes deep concrete piers anchored to either more stable soil or bedrock below the top layer of clay. The beams are then installed between the piers to support the structure, allowing for a degree of flexibility while still being extremely strong.
Our Foundation Process
A foundation in St. Louis is more than just a base; it’s a structural defense against our region’s expansive clay and extreme seasonal shifts. We follow a rigorous, code-compliant process designed to ensure your building remains stable, dry, and secure for decades.
- Site Evaluation: We evaluate the site; we inspect the soil to determine if it can support the load-bearing requirements of the proposed building. Additionally, we identify potential underground hazards (karst voids, high water tables) associated with the properties’ subsurface. We also confirm that each design conforms to the 2018/2021 International Building Code (IBC)/International Residential Code (IRC) as adopted by St. Louis County and City.
- Custom Designs: Our custom designs are developed by our engineers. We develop a foundation design based on your unique requirements, which determines the best foundation type for you (a full basement, crawl space, or slab-on-grade), while developing a structural reinforcement strategy and moisture-management approach tailored to your site’s topography.
- Excavation Preparation: During excavation, we prepare the site to achieve an adequate depth and stabilize the soil. In St. Louis, we excavate to obtain virgin, undisturbed soil and to position the footings at least 30 inches below the finished grade to remain safely below the frost line.
- Footing Installation: We install footings made of concrete after excavation. Through the use of wider footings than necessary (for example, when clay is particularly expansive), we provide a wide, stable base for the structure to sit upon and preclude settling and/or tipping of the structure over time.
- Structural Reinforcement: We add strength to the structure with the installation of rebar or wire mesh. Typically, we install #4 or #5 industrial-grade steel rebar in a continuous grid, which provides the required tensile strength to resist the lateral pressure provided by Missouri’s heavy, saturated soils.
- Concrete Pouring: We pour concrete using high-quality concrete mixes designed to optimize performance in St. Louis. We utilize a minimum of 3000-4000 PSI mixes with air-entrainment, which creates small air pockets within the concrete that allow internal moisture to expand during freezing without cracking the concrete.
- Curing and Waterproofing: After pouring the concrete, we ensure that the concrete cures properly and implement appropriate waterproofing strategies. We allow the concrete to cure for a minimum of 7 days before backfilling. After curing, we apply a high-grade bituminous membrane and install perimeter French drains to prevent hydrostatic pressure from causing basement seepage.
- Code Inspections: Lastly, we perform inspections to verify compliance with all applicable local building codes. We coordinate with municipal inspectors throughout the construction process, including, but not limited to, footing, reinforcement, and final pour, to ensure that each portion of your foundation meets all applicable code and is structurally sound.
Why Choose St. Louis Concrete Works for Your Foundation??
Choosing us means partnering with foundation specialists who prioritize structural engineering over simple aesthetics. In the St. Louis metropolitan area, a foundation is only as good as its ability to resist local soil pressures and moisture levels.
- Local Conditions: We know what kinds of soils exist in St. Louis, and we’re familiar with the 2018 IRC, which is the code adopted by the City of St. Louis, so every foot of footing will be placed below the 30-inch frost line, and every pour will have been inspected for the soil inspection required by St. Louis County.
- Custom Solutions: Each of our foundations is developed based on your specific project needs. We do not use standard plans; we develop a design for your property’s unique topography and loads to determine whether you need a T-shaped foundation, a reinforced slab-on-grade, or a deep pier-and-beam system.
- Quality Materials: The only quality products we use are high-quality concrete and reinforcement. For foundations, we use high-PSI mixtures with air-entrainment to protect against the destructive freeze-thaw cycles found throughout St. Louis, and we utilize industrial-grade steel rebar to provide the tensile strength needed to withstand lateral soil pressures.
- Experienced Team: Our crew has extensive experience in developing foundations in the St. Louis area. Whether it’s the limestone karst of the city, the clay of West County, etc., our team has encountered every type of subsurface issue this area has to offer, which enables us to identify potential problems prior to them becoming costly repairs.
- Modern Techniques: We incorporate the most modern techniques in the development of foundations. We utilize precision laser-leveling equipment and state-of-the-art waterproofing membranes to ensure your foundation is perfectly square and permanently dry, regardless of the amount of rain that occurs during the spring months of the Midwestern United States.
- Timely Completion: We maintain our commitment to timeliness to allow your project to proceed on schedule. We recognize that the foundation of your home or business is the critical path of your construction timeline. We work closely with the excavator(s) and inspector(s) to complete the base pour, curing, and prepare the foundation for framing as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Foundation Challenges in St. Louis
St. Louis’s unique geography and geology present several specific challenges for foundations. We don’t just build to standard specifications; we engineer our foundations to survive the specific pressures of the Missouri landscape, from the deep clay beds of the suburbs to the complex limestone underpinnings of the city.
- Expansive Soil Solutions: We have developed unique construction methods to combat the expansive nature of these soils. As many areas in St. Louis sit atop “shrink swell” clay soils (which act as a sponge), which expand when exposed to moisture from spring rains and contract when exposed to dryness from summer heat, we reinforce the soils using high strength concrete mixes and steel rebar to allow your home’s foundation to absorb the continuous lateral forces without bowing, or settling unevenly.
- Karst Terrain Engineering: Our designs account for possible sinkholes/cave-ins. Areas of the St. Louis metro area are classified as karst, a type of terrain where the underlying bedrock is highly porous and prone to creating subsurface cavities. Each site that we design for is thoroughly evaluated to assess the potential risks associated with karst conditions, and if deemed applicable, we employ additional engineering features such as deep piering or wide footings to bridge over unstable ground, ensuring the structural integrity of the foundation.
- Flood Plain Compliance: In areas adjacent to rivers (Meramec River, Missouri River, Mississippi River), we adhere to all local flood plain ordinances. To protect against the elements, our foundations incorporate exterior waterproofing membranes and perimeter drain tiles (also known as French drains) to assist in managing the high water table present in flood plain areas, and to help eliminate basement seepage issues.
- Frost Line Protection: Our foundations are designed to extend below the frost line, eliminating winter damage to your home. Building codes in St. Louis require a minimum footing depth of 30 inches; by extending our footings below the frost line, we create an anchor for our homes’ foundations in solid, non-frozen soil, thereby eliminating the effects of frozen water causing cracks due to the “lifting” action of expanding ice.
Signs Your St. Louis Home Might Need Foundation Repair
Because of the high clay content in St. Louis soil, foundation movement is a common reality. Recognizing the early warning signs can save you from catastrophic structural failure and significantly higher repair costs down the line.
- Foundation Cracking: Look for stair-step cracking in the outside brickwork or horizontal cracking in the basement walls. The two types of cracking will indicate that the soil is applying sideways pressure to the house, or that the foundation is settling unevenly throughout the house.
- Sticking Fixtures: When our foundation shifts, the door and window frames are no longer square with each other, causing the doors to stick. If you have to fight to get your deadbolt to lock or if you struggle to slide your window open, it could be an indication that the house is shifting structurally, as opposed to being caused by high humidity.
- Uneven Flooring: If you see a low spot in one of your rooms or if a ball will roll off the floor on its own, your house may have sunk into an area of missing soil (usually due to clay soil shrinking) or poor drainage.
- Framing Gaps: When there is a gap between the top of a wall and the ceiling, or a space between the bottom of a wall and the floor, this indicates that the framing of the house is pulling away from the foundation. Most commonly, this occurs in the summer months in St. Louis when the soil shrinks away from the base of the home.
- Basement Leaks: Basement leaks are usually one of the first signs that a foundation is experiencing issues. The hydrostatic pressure from heavy rainfalls in Missouri can push water through small cracks in the concrete over time, which can lead to weakened walls that will eventually bow outward.
If you notice these signs, contact us for a professional assessment. Our team will identify the root cause of the movement and provide a permanent engineered solution to stabilize your home.
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Ready to Build on a Solid Foundation?
Whether you’re starting a new construction project or concerned about your existing foundation, St. Louis Concrete Works is here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation and quote. Let’s ensure your structure stands strong for generations to come!
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St. Louis Concrete Works: Laying the Groundwork for Your Success, One Foundation at a Time