ᐅ Material of the base layer for the ground slab

Hello everyone,

Does it make a difference for a detached single-family house without a basement if the load-bearing layer under the concrete slab consists of sand or capillary-breaking gravel?

And which one?
- Price?
- Frost protection?
- Load-bearing capacity?
- Other?

Thank you all for the answers – unfortunately, they only help me to a limited extent. Could you perhaps provide me with a few more details?

So what do you want to hear now? This is probably one of the most important questions regarding a building’s structural stability (which is why the foundation is often used as a metaphor), and you expect generic answers here in the forum? No way! Get a soil report with foundation recommendations and discuss with your architect what is better or worse and why. That’s the best advice you can get here. It’s pointless to save 500 EUR and then have the building lean or develop cracks after one year.

Good luck

K1300S

Okay, sorry – I think I didn’t express myself clearly:

For the construction of the foundation slab, a hole is excavated, into which sand or gravel is placed and compacted. The foundation slab is then poured on top. I’m not concerned about the soil itself, but about what is compacted in the hole. What is better there? Sand or capillary-breaking gravel? (The soil itself is the same in both cases...)

However, the ground still has certain properties that need to be considered when preparing the foundation. It’s not as simple as you might think. And the few hundred euros are *very* well-invested money.