Foundation

Normally made of concrete, a structural base to a wall to prevent it sinking into the ground. In older buildings foundations may be made of brick or stone.  There are different types of founcation dependent on the type of soil being built on.  These include piled foundations where deep piles are drilled into the ground until they reach hard bedrock, raft foundations which is a large concrete slab which spreads the load of the building over the area of the foundation, and strip and trench fill foundations (pictured) which are the most commonly used where a trench is dug and part or fully filled with concrete which can then be built onto.