I would like to get some basic information on trench foundation for small additions from a builder who uses them often.
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Joey: I've used trenched foundations on a few projects in the Birmingham and Grosse Pointe that are in downstate Michigan. I don't like them but every foundation contractor goes this route in that area. Now upnorth in Harbor Springs all I use is spread footings, that's twice the width of the wall and 8" to 12" thick. I feel better about the spread footings. Hope this helped.
Maybe we are talking here about footers poured neat, that is, into a carefully dug trench, without forms. When soil conditions permit, it is the most cost effective way to go, provided footings are relatively simple. When we are stepping on a hillside, doing lots of corners, etc., forget it. But if things are clean, outfit the John Deere with the 16-inch backhoe bucket, start digging, be ready with rebar, drive a few grade stakes, and call the ready-mix plant.