Concrete pads sounds self explanatory enough: They must be pads, made of concrete. Right? Yes, but surprisingly, many people don’t realize exactly why they would need these concrete pads, and beyond being concrete and padlike, what they are, exactly. Concrete pads are sort of like mini foundations for the appendages a house might have, for example, an air conditioning unit or a transformer. These can’t just be plopped into grass in the yard. They need stable, secure foundations that they can sit on, completely level. Forming concrete pads is a simple process, one of those things so basic you almost forget you need it. But whenever you’re installing or adding something onto your property, you need a concrete pad made for it. Basement contractors like Charles Pellaton’s Quality Dry Basements are old pros at a task like concrete pads.
A concrete pad serves two purposes: to provide a level foundation for the item being built or installed on top of it, and to keep the item anchored into the ground. Your contractors have to know what the concrete pad is being built for, and they need to be able to measure it. Based on the size and weight of the item, they can establish a concrete foundation in the proper location – for example, if you are having this done for an air conditioning unit, it must be placed in an exact spot to connect and run the air through the rest of the house, through ducts and vents. Your contractors can help you lay everything out and work it all together. You may need to coordinate this with other contractors, such as your HVAC contractor who connects the air conditioner.
One the location is chosen, the basement contractors level out the ground by removing sod and evening out the soil. (This allows for straight pad to be poured, so the item will sit level.) Then holes must be dug into the ground because support columns will come up from the ground into the pad to hold everything securely in place. Usually for a larger, heavier item like an air conditioning unit, four columns will be used. This support and locking will ensure you never worry about the item moving anywhere or falling. This also secures the pad close to the ground so moisture and groundwater can’t collect between the pad and the soil, causing movement or damage. The contractors will then frame the pads with wooden boards. Finally, concrete can be poured. Once this sturdy foundation is built, the item is ready to be built or installed on top, from the air conditioning unit or transformer, to a sort of outhouse, cabana, shed, you name it. The concrete pad not only makes the item on top of it safer and more secure, it makes building or installing much easier and more straightforward.
As they are with your basement or crawl space, your basement contractors are then on call for these concrete pads. They will be the ones to handle any repairs, if ever necessary. If you ever see a crack in these pads, it is important to call them in as soon as possible, because if that crack grows it could compromise the structural soundness of the pad. If it breaks or moves, whatever is on top of it could be moderately to severely damaged. Concrete pads are a quick and easy job, but the necessary first step for building or installing any units or outer houses.
