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

As very simple way to see this is by comparing it to a boat. The water push on the boat’s hull like the soil push on the fondation. The viscosity is different, but the principle of floatability is the same.