01-04-2016, 07:10 AM
I have always thought that a slab on top of a nice thick layer of gravel would be the best. The gravel would serve as a bond breaker between the ground, which is moving in an earthquake, and the slab/house, which you would rather not have move. To keep the house together it would be bolted to the slab but the slab would float on the ground.
If you were really hard core you would build a cellular mat foundation. It is as big as the plan of your house but with a floor and a ceiling connected by reinforced concrete walls. Sort of a reinforced concrete egg crate. They are used on expansive soil where soil conditions change throughout the year. The hollow cells could be used for catchment storage, workshops, utilities, etc. Sort of an above ground basement.
If you were really hard core you would build a cellular mat foundation. It is as big as the plan of your house but with a floor and a ceiling connected by reinforced concrete walls. Sort of a reinforced concrete egg crate. They are used on expansive soil where soil conditions change throughout the year. The hollow cells could be used for catchment storage, workshops, utilities, etc. Sort of an above ground basement.