Concrete slab foundation or often known as monolithic slab foundation has the advantage of being a cheap and faster foundation to build. The installation process is quite simple. Concrete beams are installed about two feet deep around the slab, while wire mesh and steel reinforcing bars are attached to the concrete. This type of foundation is often used for the construction of housing and shops in various sizes. However, you also need to know besides the low cost and fast processing, this foundation has disadvantages, which you can see below.
Expensive Cost of Repair
This foundation construction rarely goes wrong or improper. The only Monolithic slab problem that might haunt you is when it cracks or breaks. If that happens, the costs you will spend are expensive. You can’t immediately pour the castings to repair the damage, but you have to use techniques to minimize the crack occurrence. The techniques used are usually mud jacking or basejacking. These are well known for the high costs.
Building Resale Price
This case will only apply if you intend to resell the building. Maybe you are a building contractor who wants low costs and fast construction, and then you decided to choose this foundation. The prospective buyers are certainly not ordinary people who will immediately buy without finding out information that’s related to the building. Even though the monolithic slab foundation is still relatively new, they will think twice because they will feel burdened with expensive repair costs.
Bad Resistance from Flood
This foundation construction generally only raises the building as high as six inches from the ground level. This, of course, will make the building vulnerable against flooding, especially if it is located in the area with high level of rainfall. You could say the natural enemy of this foundation is bad weather.
There is No Available Access
It is certain that the foundation could not have a gap or small basement. If you install cables or plumbing, you can only install them once. For example, when there is damage to electricity or plumbing that happens to be embedded in the foundation, you inevitably have to dismantle the foundation to repair it. The repair you did is doubled because you also have to repair the foundation that you break earlier. The repair costs of monolithic slab foundation will also increase if the floor uses marble or other expensive materials.
