Our services
Foundations & Concreting in Brighton & Hove
Everything above ground depends on this. Foundations and concrete work are unglamorous, invisible when finished, and the single most expensive thing to get wrong.
We carry out groundworks, foundations, slabs and concreting across Brighton, Hove and Sussex, for extensions, outbuildings, garages and standalone bases.
What’s involved
What the job actually includes
Site clearance and excavation
Dig out, muck away and prepare, working around the access constraints of terraced and hillside sites.
Strip and trench fill foundations
Dug to the depth the ground conditions and building control require, not to a standard assumption.
Reinforced slabs and bases
Shed bases, garage bases, outbuilding slabs and extension floor slabs, reinforced where the loading calls for it.
Drainage
Drainage runs, connections and inspection chambers laid in as part of the groundworks.
Underpinning
Carried out in sequence to an engineer's design where foundations need extending or strengthening.
General concreting
Paths, hardstandings, floors and general concrete work, laid level and finished properly.
Local knowledge
Digging on chalk and on a hill
Brighton sits largely on chalk downland, which behaves differently from the clay that most generic foundation advice assumes. Chalk is generally a good bearing ground but it is sensitive to water and to frost, and depth requirements vary noticeably across the city. Add the gradients around Hanover, Queen's Park and the Hove hinterland and you get sloping sites where foundations step and access for muck away is tight. We work out depth and access on site rather than assuming, because this is the stage where surprises are most expensive.
Common questions
Foundations & Concreting: your questions answered
How deep do foundations need to be?
It depends on the ground, nearby trees and what you are building. Building control confirms depth once the trench is dug and inspected. Anyone quoting a depth before looking at the site is guessing.
Do tree roots affect foundations?
They can, significantly, and it is a common reason foundations end up deeper and more expensive than expected. We look at what is growing near the site before quoting.
Can you do just the groundworks?
Yes. We are happy to take on groundworks and foundations as a standalone package for another builder or for a self build, as well as doing them as part of a full project.
How long before we can build on it?
Concrete gains most of its strength in the first week and we work to sensible curing times. We set out the programme so you know when the next stage can start.
Where we work
Foundations & Concreting across Sussex
We take on foundations & concretingthroughout Brighton, Hove and the surrounding towns. Not sure if you’re in our patch? Give us a call.
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Planning a project? Let’s talk.
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