Bricklaying - How To Do Foundations For House Extension
Stu shows how a piled foundation for a small house extension is done, from digging out to the concrete base. What happens below ground before any brickwork starts.
Before an extension has a single brick on it, there’s a lot of work below ground, and this is the video that shows it. Stu walks through a piled foundation for a small house extension, from digging out to the finished concrete base that the walls will sit on.
Piled foundations are used where the ground isn’t good enough for a normal strip footing, or where trees, drains or made-up ground mean a traditional trench isn’t safe. Piles are driven or bored down to firm ground, and a reinforced concrete beam or slab is formed on top to carry the walls. The video follows the sequence: setting out, excavation, the piling, the reinforcement and formwork, and the concrete pour. It’s a good look at how much of an extension’s cost is spent on things you’ll never see once it’s finished.
The type of foundation is decided by the ground and by building control, not by the builder’s preference. That’s worth knowing when you’re comparing quotes, because a job priced on a strip footing and a job priced on piles are not the same job.
Who this is for: homeowners planning an extension who want to understand what happens before the brickwork starts, and trades who don’t often see piled work.
What a homeowner should expect from a good job: foundations designed for your ground, not copied from the last job, inspected and signed off by building control before they’re covered up, set out accurately so the walls land where the drawings say, and a concrete base that’s level and at the right depth for the damp-proof course. Ask your builder what type of foundation they’ve priced and why. A good one will have an answer.
