How To Find a Foundation Concrete Specalist

No matter what type of building project you’re starting, the foundation is the first key element to consider. Like the rest of your structure, its foundation requires care, expertise, and excellence in its design and construction. As a trusted foundation concrete expert, RTS Construction offers more than 30 years of combined experience in foundations, custom work, and more.

Types of Foundations

For commercial and residential projects, RTS Construction demonstrates expertise in creating several kinds of foundations. Based on your project’s needs, we can recommend a foundation style that works best for your building.

Crawlspaces

Crawlspace foundations raise a building between 18 and 48 inches from the ground, forming an accessible area to reach wiring and plumbing structures. A crawlspace foundation consists of poured concrete forming its footings and walls. The footings help evenly distribute the house’s weight and incorporate steel reinforcements.

While crawlspaces are built in many regions, they’re best suited to arid climates. Construction experts Glenda Taylor and Bob Vila explain that they can retain water. Left unchecked, the excess moisture can lead to mold growth and rotting in lower wooden structures. However, they’re often ideal for sloped and low-grade lots because less excavation is required.

Slabs and Stem Walls

Slab foundations are exactly what they sound like. Each of these foundations includes a large flat concrete piece measuring between 4 and 6 inches in its center. While usually poured onto the ground, a slab foundation also incorporates a durable weather-resistant vapor barrier made from polymers like polyolefin and polyethylene.

As any seasoned foundation concrete specialist knows, slab foundations are ideal for warmer climates in areas where the ground is less prone to freezing. While a slab forces HVAC units to take up living space, it also doesn’t come with the additional empty space that must be heated or cooled. Slab foundations can also be pretreated with insecticides and reduce a house’s overall price tag.

Pile Foundations

Pile foundations consist of slender columns usually made from steel or wood. Submerged deep into the ground, these supports distribute a building’s weight further down into the ground. In locations with looser surface soil, pile foundations are effective solutions. They’re also common in high-humidity regions or areas at higher risk for flooding and with constructions bearing heavier concentrated loads.

Posts and Pier Foundations

Post and pier foundations consist of vertical cement pillars installed into the ground. Combined with beams built on top of the pillars these foundations support their structures’ weight while elevating them to guard against moisture and flooding. They also make it easier to get to a building’s plumbing and electrical work.

How To Identify a Top-Notch Foundation Pouring Experts

Like any wise consumer shopping for building services, you follow smart tips to find a worthy professional: getting recommendations, interviewing prospective contractors, researching each business, obtaining bids, and confirming details. All these steps are critical before you hire any professional and sign a contract. While there are many skilled concrete contractors in Northern California, your goal is to choose one that can give your project the time, attention, and expertise it requires. You’ll want to look for a few important traits in the concrete  contractor or specialist you ultimately choose:

• Expertise: The willingness and knowledge to answer complex questions. For previous jobs, this should include detailed answers on how they solved challenging issues during these projects.
• Honesty: Integrity means honestly communicating expectations for any project — even if a project may take longer or cost more than you anticipate. This also means suggesting alternative solutions that may better fit your time frame and budget. 
• References: A contractor’s previous clients are more than happy to talk about their projects and how well the contractor performed. Ask the references about the contractor’s schedule, budget, and customer service.
• Reviews: Online reviews reveal a lot about a contractor’s reputation and reliability. Don’t ignore word of mouth, as friends and family can also provide useful information. 

Your Concrete Experts in Sonoma

Count on RTS Construction for your concrete pouring needs. We’re proud to be a leading foundation concrete specialist, delivering superior quality work to clients in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, and surrounding Northern California communities. We’d love to bring our expertise and excellence to your next project. Request a quote online or call us at (707) 620-0904.