Unit 9. Foundations 1.
(website)
CENTURY Home Builders
The best homes last for generations. It all starts with the foundation Century Home Builders is known for its sturdy residential structures. CHB specializes in shallow foundations, including:
Monolithic foundations
In some areas, a monolithic foundation is the most stable option. The floor slab and the foundation are poured all at once. The foundation extends deeper below load bearing walls to support the building load.
Spread foundations
Century Home Builders provides spread foundations with stem walls. A wide footing is placed two feet below these walls. The stem walls rise above grade to protect structural walls from ground moisture and insects.
Foundation piers with grade beams
If you live on the coast, you're probably concerned about flooding. In that case, you'd want our foundation pier with grade beams. The grade beams support the load bearing walls, but also provide a crawl space below the house. When a flood occurs, it won't fill your first floor!
All CHB homes have our guarantee - they won't shift, crack or settle when the ground freezes and thaws. CHB constructions are built to last!
Residential Monolithic foundation
Get ready!
1. Before you read the passage, talk about these questions.
1. What is the bottom level of a building?
2. What is one condition caused by weather that could affect a foundation?
Reading
2. Read the website of a home-building company. Then, mark the statements as true (T) or false (F).
1 ___ A monolithic foundation is created in several stages.
2 ___ Stem walls rest on foundation piers.
3 ___ Temperature changes in soil can potentially damage a foundation.
Vocabulary
3. Match the words (1-9) with the definitions (A-I)
1 ___ footing
2 ___ freeze
3 ___ pier
4 ___ residential
5 ___ monolithic foundation
6 ___ spread foundation
7 ___ shallow foundation
8 ___ grade beam
9 ___ stem wall
A. a foundation that distributes the weight from walls and columns over an area
B. a concrete post that sits on piers and supports load bearing walls
C. sections of concrete that lie below the foundation
D. a foundation poured with a floor slab and with deeper parts below load bearing walls
E. a concrete post formed by pouring concrete into a drilled hole
F. a structure that rises above grade to which structural walls attach
G. made up of many homes
H. to become ice due to cold condition
I. a foundation that is constructed close to the surface
4. Read the sentence and choose the correct word.
1 These beams are not strong enough to support the building load / footing of the house.
2 The building load / foundation of the house cracked during the earthquake.
3 A shallow foundation / grade beam will not work for a high rise building. It must go further into the ground.
4 The structure's foundation began to sink in the spring when all the ice thawed / froze.
5. Listen and read the website of a home-building company again. What are some advantages of a foundation pier with grade beams?
Listening
6 Listen to a conversation between a potential customer and a contractor. Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F).
1. What is the conversation mainly about?
A. how to install a foundation
B. the pros and cons of different foundations
C. why the man cannot use a certain foundation
D. the cause of damage to the man's foundation
2. What does the man like about monolithic foundation?
A. the price of installation
B. the speed of installation
C. the option for a crawl space
D. the protection from flooding
7. Listen again and complete the conversation.
Customer: Thanks for meeting with me again, Ms. Hendricks.
Contractor: My pleasure. Now, you thought about your foundation options?
Customer: Well, I liked the monolithic foundation because it's 1 ______.
Contractor: It is the least expensive. It's also the 2 ____ ____ ___, too. But there is a problem.
Customer: Really? What's that?
Contractor: This area 3 ____ ____ flood every few years. A monolithic foundation doesn't protect you from that.
Customer: So what would you recommend?
Contractor: Foundation piers with grade beams are 4 ___ ___ ___ . It lifts the house up a bit with a crawl space.
Customer: I see. Are there any 5 ___ with that type?
Contractor: A few. It 6 ___ ___ to install because we have to drill.
Speaking
8. With a partner, act out the roles below based on Task 7. Then, switch roles.
USE LANGUAGE SUCH AS:
Have you thought about ...?
The problem is ...
Are there any drawbacks ...
Student A: You are a potential home owner. Talk to Student A about:
• types of shallow foundations
• strengths of foundation types
• weaknesses of foundation types
Student B: You are a contractor. Talk to Student A about foundations.
Writing
9. Use the website and the conversation from task 8 to fill out the information sheet from a construction company.
What you need to know about ...
Types of foundations
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