Many people build tiny homes to move them, but if you are building a tiny home and expect it to stay in the same spot forever, you may want to add a foundation to your home. There are a number of options you can explore, but for ultimate durability, you should have a concrete foundation. Here are some tips and ideas to consider:
1. Pour gravel under concrete slabs.
You can build your tiny home directly on a concrete slab, and this is the ideal option if there is a small chance that you may want to move the home in the future. As long as you don't attach your home to the concrete slab, you can ultimately lift it at some point, especially if you build it up on wood skids.
However, the concrete slab beneath it will ensure that the ground beneath the house won't shift or erode out from under you. When pouring the slab, add a layer of gravel underneath it. That helps with drainage. Also, make sure that the land around the concrete slab slopes away from it to allow rainwater to run off the slab more easily and prevent flooding in your home.
2. Integrate retaining walls on sloped land.
If the land where you plan to build is sloped, you can level it to make a concrete slab, but you also may need to build a retaining wall around some parts of the concrete slab so that the surrounding high bits of land don't start washing onto your concrete slab. Alternatively, you can work with the slopes and use a combination of retaining walls and concrete-set posts to support the base of your tiny home.
3. Add a basement.
Although most tiny homes do not have basements, that doesn't mean you cannot add one to your home. Some builders put in a small fruit or wine cellar beneath their tiny homes, while others build full basements and plop a deceptively small tiny home on top of them. To build a full-sized basement under a tiny house, you will likely need to consult with an architect with experience building bunkers.
However, if you just want a tiny basement, you can simply dig a hole with enough room to stand up in -- make sure that it's slightly smaller than the footprint of your tiny house. Then, stack concrete bricks up the walls so that they reach slightly higher than ground level and pour a concrete floor in the centre of the basement. Finally, build your tiny house over the basement, using the concrete blocks as a foundation, and make sure to add a hatch in your floor so you can access the basement.
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1 August 2016
We have had a space out by the back of the shop for parking since the shop opened. But we noticed that fewer and fewer customers were using it and more customers mentioned the lack of parking in our area. It turned out that they didn't like parking on the back, unsealed lot as this made their shoes muddy and their car dirty. We used a concrete contractor to come and seal the carpark as well as mark out defined parking bays. The customers love it and we have noticed an increase in business. This site talks about how small businesses can create parking spaces with concreting to improve their customer experience.
