Groundworks & Civils
Foundations for New Builds & Extensions in Cumbria
Strip, trench-fill, pad and reinforced foundations built to engineer's detail and building control inspection.
Foundations transfer the weight of a building into ground that can carry it. The right type depends on the loadings, the soil, the depth of suitable bearing strata, nearby trees, the presence of made ground, and how the building is being constructed above.
SHS installs strip, trench-fill, pad and reinforced foundations for houses, extensions, garden buildings and agricultural structures throughout Cumbria, working to the engineer's or building control officer's requirements and supporting the inspection process.
Typical project range
£12,000 – £30,000
Foundation design, building footprint, excavation depth, concrete quantities, drainage and ground conditions are major cost drivers.
Complex engineering or difficult ground conditions can increase the project value.
Typical project ranges are indicative only and are intended to show the general scale of work SHS undertakes. Every project is different. Site access, ground conditions, engineering, materials, specification, drainage, programme and final scope can all materially affect cost. SHS will confirm pricing only after reviewing the project requirements.
Applications
Where this work applies
- New build houses and self-build plots
- Single and two-storey extensions
- Garden rooms, garages and outbuildings
- Agricultural building bases and stanchion pads
- Underpinning support works designed by an engineer
Project types
Typical projects
- Trench-fill foundations for a rural new build
- Extension footings adjacent to an existing stone property
- Pad foundations for a steel-framed agricultural building
- Reinforced foundations designed for poor ground
From site
Foundations — genuine SHS photographs
Genuine photographs of SHS work. They are individual site photographs from different jobs and do not represent a single project.
Method
How SHS approaches it
01
Depths are driven by what is found, not what was hoped for. If the formation is soft, waterlogged, filled or affected by tree roots, that is reported before concrete goes in, and the engineer or building control officer is involved in agreeing the solution.
02
Concrete is a perishable, scheduled material. Pours are planned around access for the wagon, pump requirements, weather and inspection timings, so that the concrete placed is the concrete specified.
Plant
Equipment used
- 1.5 tonne excavator (company-owned)
- 3 tonne track dumper
- Hydraulic breaker pack
- Rotating laser level
- Plant and tipper trailers for self-delivery
Support
Professional input
- Structural engineering for foundation design, reinforcement detail and difficult ground
- Building control liaison during formation and pour inspections
- Quantity surveying input on larger measured foundation packages
Specialist input is provided by independent professionals SHS works with, not by in-house departments.
Cumbria
Local considerations
- Cumbria has a wide mix of ground: glacial till, alluvial deposits near rivers, peaty upland ground and shallow rock. Two plots in the same village can require different foundation solutions, which is why engineer involvement is often money well spent rather than an added cost.
- Existing rubble-stone buildings are common, and their original foundations are frequently shallow and irregular. Extending onto them needs care, and normally an engineer's view, before excavation begins alongside them.
Frequently asked questions
For most extensions and new builds, yes — building control will normally expect a designed solution, particularly where ground conditions are variable or trees are nearby. SHS can arrange an independent engineer.
Related services
Groundworks & Civils
Concrete Works
Slabs, floors, bases, aprons and reinforced concrete, placed and finished to the required tolerance.
Technical
Radon Protection
Radon barriers, sumps and sealed detailing installed correctly at substructure stage.
Groundworks & Civils
Excavation
Bulk and detailed excavation, trenching, cut-and-fill and spoil handling on accessible and awkward sites alike.
Structures & Masonry
Blockwork
Cavity walls, foundation blockwork and loadbearing internal walls built plumb, level and to specification.
Buildings
New Builds
Complete new build groundworks and structural masonry packages for self-builders and developers.
Next step
Need foundations in Cumbria?
Tell SHS what you are building, repairing or preparing. Upload photographs, drawings or plans and the project can be reviewed before a site visit is arranged.