Post And Beam Foundation Design

A modified post and beam will work with pier perimeter wall and slab.

Post and beam foundation design.

Image source can be found here. Pier and beam foundations sometimes called post and beam elevate homes to protect them from flooding and moisture. Pier and beam foundations are still prone to foundation issues. Enter the pier and beam foundation.

While easier to build and less costly than the more common perimeter concrete foundation it is best used for smaller buildings on building sites with a low likelihood. This makes sense as the weight of the house is a series of point loads where the posts are. Also a pier and beam foundation preempts the need for heavy machinery to dig a large foundation. The foundations of all post frame buildings sometimes referred to as pole buildings or pole barns con sist of treated wood posts embedded in the ground.

Cons of pier and beam foundations. Between the home and the ground is a crawl space high enough to crawl through hence the name allowing utilities including plumbing and electrical wiring units to be installed and easily accessed if issues should occur. In reality post frame buildings can be supported by a variety of founda tion types. There is the risk of pipes bursting in hard freezes more so if the vent covers are missing.

A pier and beam sometimes called post and beam foundation involves wood posts or concrete piers set into the ground and bearing the weight of the building on foundation beams. Ten such foundation options are presented to provide builders and design. Or they may be isolated spot footings for foundation piers or posts. During sub freezing weather homeowners should ensure that all vents are covered.

With this foundation design you attain a raised floor that removes the structure from the ground isolating the living space from ground moisture. Appendix c foundation capacities ta bles provides design capacities for foundation uplift and withdrawal based on the foundation type chosen wood concrete masonry or cast in place. Pier and beam foundations offer a high level of versatility specific not only to the dead live seismic and wind loads to be supported and or restrained but also to the girders or sill beams and floor joists and their respective span capabilities. Homes built on pier and beam foundations can be relocated if necessary.

While post and beam construction can be used for just about any foundation type it really does lend itself to a system that relies on piers rather than a continuous footing. Due to the soils report provided by sam engineering testing we utilized a pier and beam foundation system on our 5923 park lane residence in dallas texas. A pier and beam foundation offers some great advantages that a full basement does not afford.