A well poured and constructed foundation will be a big factor in determining how your basement performs for years. When planning a custom home, many people think about kitchens and finishes – not footers and waterproofing. Both are equally important to how happy you’ll be after construction. When it comes to what’s beneath your home, here’s what to understand before you build.

Components of a Basement Foundation

A basement foundation is a system of components that work together. Understanding what each part does helps you evaluate what builders include in their standard specifications.

Footers: Wide concrete bases that sit beneath the walls and distribute the house’s weight to the soil below. Footer size depends on soil conditions and the load they’ll carry. They must extend below the frost line – in southwestern Virginia, typically at least 24 inches deep – or freeze-thaw cycles can cause heaving.

Walls: The vertical structure that sits on the footers and supports the house above. Poured concrete is standard for full basements. Steel rebar is embedded in the walls during the pour to add strength and help resist the lateral pressure from soil outside.

Floor slab: The concrete basement floor, typically 4 inches thick, poured over a gravel base. The gravel provides drainage beneath the slab and helps control moisture migration from the ground.

Waterproofing: Coatings or membranes applied to the exterior of the foundation walls to prevent water from seeping through the concrete. This is separate from the drainage system – waterproofing is a barrier, drainage moves water away.

Drainage: Perforated pipes installed around the footers to collect groundwater and direct it away from the foundation. Interior drainage systems at the base of the walls provide a second line of defense, channeling any water that enters to a sump pump.

Poured Concrete Foundations

Modern custom homes are built with poured concrete basement walls. The concrete creates a solid, continuous structure that’s stronger and more stable than the cement block foundations common in older homes.

Standard basement walls are 8 feet tall, which provides proper ceiling height for finished spaces. Some homeowners upgrade to 9-foot walls – once you account for HVAC ducts and dropped ceilings, the extra height helps maintain comfortable headroom in finished spaces. This is an upgrade that can’t be done after the fact.

In our homes, we pour these walls with the expectation that homeowners may want to finish the space. That means full height throughout, proper structural support, and attention to details that make finishing easier down the road.

Managing Water Around Foundations

Keeping basements dry requires managing water before it becomes a problem. It starts with proper grading – soil sloping away from the house – to keep surface water from reaching the foundation. Still, some water will inevitably reach the walls, which is why waterproofing systems are standard in quality new construction. These typically include exterior waterproofing on the foundation walls, perimeter drainage around the footers, and interior drainage at the base of the walls.

We use the Tuff-n-Dri system in our homes – spray coating and Warm-n-Dri board on the exterior, footer drains, and Drain-Star interior drainage. This complete approach includes a 30-year manufacturer warranty on the waterproofing components. (Click here to learn more about Tuff-n-Dri.)

Different builders take different approaches to water management. Some use exterior waterproofing alone, others just add footer drains. More complete systems typically come with longer manufacturer warranties – and more importantly, they keep basements drier.

Questions to Ask Builders

When interviewing builders, ask about their foundation approach. These questions help you understand their construction standards:

What to Expect After Construction

Now that you understand what goes into a foundation and how to evaluate your builder, what should you expect after construction?

A well-built foundation should perform without major issues. That said, all new homes go through a settling period as concrete cures, lumber dries, and the structure adjusts to its environment. Here’s what’s normal during that period – and what would actually indicate a problem:

Most settling happens in the first year. After that, a well-built foundation should stabilize and show no new movement. If new problems develop years later, have a foundation professional evaluate the situation.

Choose a Builder You Can Trust

Foundation work happens in the first few weeks of construction. Most of it disappears behind dirt and finishes – you won’t see it later, but you’ll live with the results. That’s why your builder’s approach and specifications matter more than anything you could inspect yourself.

Do your homework upfront. Ask the questions in this article. Look at written specifications. Understand what’s standard and what’s an upgrade. A builder who takes foundation work seriously will be happy to explain their approach.