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The frost depth depends on the climatic conditions of an area, the heat transfer properties of the soil and adjacent materials, and on nearby heat sources. For example, snow cover and asphalt insulate the ground and homes can heat the ground (see also heat island). The line varies by latitude, it is deeper closer to the poles.
A foundation must bear the structural loads imposed upon it and allow proper drainage of ground water to prevent expansion or weakening of soils and frost heaving. While the far more common concrete foundation requires separate measures to ensure good soil drainage, the rubble trench foundation serves both foundation functions at once.
Shallow foundations of a house versus the deep foundations of a skyscraper. Foundation with pipe fixtures coming through the sleeves. In engineering, a foundation is the element of a structure which connects it to the ground or more rarely, water (as with floating structures), transferring loads from the structure to the ground.
Section through railway track and foundation showing the sub-grade. Grading in civil engineering and landscape architectural construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, [1] for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and garden improvements, or surface drainage.
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Shallow foundation construction example. A shallow foundation is a type of building foundation that transfers structural load to the Earth very near to the surface, rather than to a subsurface layer or a range of depths, as does a deep foundation.
In colder climates, the foundation must be below the frost line. Unless constructed in very cold climates, the frost line is not so deep as to justify an entire level below the ground, although it is usually deep enough that a basement is the assumed standard.