The easy choice for a foundation for your new metal building is a concrete slab. A solid concrete slab will be stable for many years to come and require very little in the way of maintenance. But how do you create such a slab successfully? That question will be answered below.
As far as the building that will be added on top of your new slab, that’s easy – just turn to American Carports, Inc. to bring it to life. We have been doing these kinds of projects for our customers for years and have built a reputation as a leader in this industry. You can see what types of buildings are possible by using our Build & Price tool, and you can always contact us if you need help with anything along the way.
Step 1. Pick a Great Location
Before you can do anything else, you’ll need to figure out where on your property you want the new building to be constructed. This isn’t the type of thing that can easily be changed later, so take your time and consider a number of different factors before proceeding.
One important factor to remember is that you want to avoid putting your slab – and building – in a place where water is naturally going to collect. If you build on a low spot, you might forever be fighting against water accumulation during rainy times of the year. That doesn’t mean you need to build on the highest spot of the property, of course, but avoid places that always seem to be muddy after rain falls.
Step 2. Take Careful Measurements
You need to know exactly how big your concrete slab should be before getting started. This means you’ll need to know how big the building you are ordering will be, and you’ll want to make the slab slightly larger than its footprint. Carefully measure your selected spot to confirm that there is enough space for the building to be placed without any trouble.
Remember to consider access to the building from all directions, as well. After all, a beautiful new building won’t be much use if it’s hard to get in and out of whenever you want to use it.
Step 3. Excavate and Level
This is where the physical work begins. Now that you know where the concrete slab is going to go, and how big it is going to be, you can get to work excavating the spot and getting it level. The stability of your new building is going to depend on this slab being level, so take the time required to do good site work in advance, and you’ll be able to avoid plenty of frustrating headaches later on.
Step 4. Install Forms and Pour Concrete
It’s necessary to have forms in place to contain the concrete exactly where you want the slab to live. The quality of your forms is going to dictate the quality of the slab you are able to pour in the end. Once you are happy with the shape of the forms and how they are held in place, start pouring concrete to fill up the space.
Pay careful attention to the mix to walk the line between too wet and too dry. If you aren’t confident in your own ability to mix up concrete properly and pour a slab, this is an easy step to outsource to a contractor who will do the work for you. That’s a particularly good idea for large slabs that will require quite a bit of concrete to complete.
Step 5 .Give It Some Time
Finally, it’s important to plan your project in such a way that you have time to simply let the slab dry for a while. You don’t want to be racing against time with the building set to be constructed shortly after the slab has been poured. It’s best to give it at least a few days – and hopefully more – to fully cure and be nicely set before the construction process continues.
Build a Custom Metal Building
When all is said and done, you will be glad you took the time to create a solid concrete slab foundation for your new metal building. That foundation will allow the building to live up to its potential – and it will also serve as a nice floor for whatever you’ll be doing inside the space. Make sure to get a quality structure at a fair price by working with American Carports, Inc. on the project. We’d be proud to serve you!
