When you design your prefabricated building project, normally the foundation design should be done by a local civil engineer.
The engineer will require the following stuffs:
- Soil investigation report (Provided by local survey company via client)
- Foundation reaction drawings (Provided by Smartec)
Once above two items are available, the engineer will then design the foundation taking account of the site terrain & client’s requirement.
There is some typical foundation types that can be applied to prefabricated building, your engineer firm would propose the most suitable type.
Elevated steel sub-foundation
Good for slope site, concrete free system can be applied for where concrete is too expensive or not available.
Footings:
- concrete pad
- concrete free system
Concrete Slab Foundation
The foundation is gonna be a full slab poured in one time
Concrete strip foundation
Less concrete foundation would be required
Always do not forget the details how your above structure is attached to the foundation, check the design and get to know the details and see if there is conflicts.
As prefabricated building with light gauge steel framing is lighter than traditional timber framing or concrete/mortar building, so the foundation is actually less expensive and simple than other ones.
A nice and level foundation would be important and will save much time and cost for future installation.