The whole house rests on the foundation or it will sink. What does the foundation rest on? Why doesn’t the foundation sink just as easily?

Question

I get that some foundations do have sinking issues, but how does having a foundation help? If the foundation is poured and solidifies, what stops the weight of the house from immediately sinking/tilting the foundation?

In: 2809

Answer 1

Others have given great responses but I’d like to add: the foundations usually sit on *undisturbed* soil. When you dig a hole and fill it back in, its usually a mound – it doesn’t fit like it did. There are tiny pockets of air where the bits of the soil don’t nestle into one another. This type of soil will eventually give way and sink if you build on it. Undisturbed soil is hard and packed, without voids, and will bear weight. Add footings to distribute the weight bearing on the foundation walls and it should be pretty solid.