Frost Heave

Related terms

• Footing

  The widened concrete base below a foundation wall or post that spreads the structure's load over enough soil to prevent settling. New str…

• Slab

  A poured concrete floor or foundation surface. Moving plumbing in a slab-on-grade home means saw-cutting and patching concrete — a signif…

• Frost Line / Frost Depth

  The depth to which ground freezes locally. Footings must bear below it (in central Ohio ~32 in.) so frost heave can't lift the structure.

• French Drain

  A gravel-filled trench with perforated pipe that redirects surface and groundwater away from the structure.

• Girder

  A large primary beam that carries other beams or joists. The main load-collecting member, often mid-span under a floor down to columns.

• Footing Drain / Drain Tile

  Perforated pipe in gravel along the footing that collects groundwater and routes it away or to a sump, relieving pressure on the foundation.

• Glulam

  Glued-laminated timber — a structural beam of bonded dimensional lumber, often used where the beam is exposed for appearance.

• Flitch Beam

  A composite beam of steel plate sandwiched between wood members, used where a slim but very strong beam is needed.