How to Build a Concrete & Stone Foundation

Measure out the entire perimeter of the foundation of the home on the ground; hammer stakes into each of the four corners of the marked off area and tie nylon string between each to create a visual guideline to follow when you dig. Using a spade, dig out the perimeter, making the footer trench 24 inches wide and 12 inches in depth to get well below the soil line. Remove the stakes and string as you go.

Flatten the sides of the trench with a square-end shovel and flatten the bottom of the trench with a soil tamper. Lay a carpenter’s level across the bottom of the trench on all sides to ensure maximum evenness for the bottom. Consult your blueprints concerning where you’ll be placing the support beams for the structure, a number that is commensurate with how large the overall house is. Hammer stakes down into the footer to mark the location for each support.

Remove each stake as you go, digging out each support’s location by digging a smaller circular or squared “mini-trenches” that go to a depth of about 3 inches below the bottom floor of the trench. Mix the quick-drying cement as directed by the packaging and add enough cement to fill the first inch of the support beam’s trench. Work on only one trench at a time to prevent the cement from hardening as it sits in the bucket.

Stand the first support in the trench and fill the remaining area of the trench with crushed stone until the mini-trench is filled and level with the bottom of the footer trench. Tamp down the stone around the beam until it is firm. Repeat for all the remaining supports until all are in place. Loosely fill the remainder of the footer trench with crushed stone.

Lay the larger paving stones over the loose crushed stone in the trench. The weight of the heavier and larger pavers will naturally cause the looser stones to settle and create strength in the footer. Fill the gaps and crevices around the pavers with cement and allow it to dry before continuing on and building upon the new footer with cinder blocks.