foundations

[eve]

hi. is it true that foundations have to be 1 metre down ,and then the length and width have to be filled to the brim with concrete,or are they 1 metre down and a certain width wide and then the bricks are built on top.dont know whether to beleive my builder when he says the foundations will cost£2000.00 for 8x10ft under conservatorie.does any of that make sense... eve.

[bco]

Hi

Foundations are generally 1000mm deep dependent on your location in the country and other local influances like trees, deep drains or bad ground. Generally most foundations are 4500mm wide but again this would depend upon the ground conditions, ie. if your sub strata was sand you would need to widden to 600mm. You never fill a foundation to "the brim" with concrete for frost protection reasons but stop it at least 150mm below the level of the adjacent ground and then build out., or if you wanted to a shallow strip you could place in the region of 350-400mm of concret in the base of the 1000mm excavation and then build out the ground.