Strip Footings Explained: When and Why They're Used
Strip footings are one of the oldest and most straightforward foundation systems, still widely used for supporting load-bearing walls in specific construction types. Here’s what they are and when they make sense.
What Are Strip Footings?
A strip footing is a continuous, linear concrete footing poured beneath a load-bearing wall line, designed to spread the wall’s load over a wider area of ground than the wall itself would achieve alone. Unlike a slab, which forms a single structural unit across the whole floor area, strip footings support specific wall lines individually, with the floor structure built separately above or beside them.
How They Differ From a Slab
A slab-on-ground system (like a raft or waffle slab) combines the foundation and finished floor into one continuous element. Strip footings, by contrast, support a suspended floor system — timber or steel bearers and joists, or a suspended concrete floor — built above the footings rather than directly on the ground. This makes strip footings more relevant to certain construction types (particularly some extensions, additions, and specific wall or structure types) than to a standard new house slab.
When Strip Footings Are Used
Strip footings are commonly used for freestanding masonry or brick walls, fences, some extension and addition scenarios where matching an existing suspended floor makes sense, and various commercial and structural applications where a full slab isn’t the appropriate solution. They’re also relevant on sites where a suspended floor system is preferred over slab-on-ground for other reasons, such as significant site slope or specific engineering requirements.
Design Considerations
Strip footing size (width and depth) is engineered based on the load being carried and the bearing capacity of the soil at footing depth — a heavier wall or structure needs a wider or deeper footing than a lighter one. As with any foundation element, this is determined by an engineer based on site-specific soil information, not a generic standard size.
Construction Process
Strip footing construction involves excavating a trench along the wall line to the required depth, placing reinforcement according to the engineering design, and pouring concrete to fill the trench to the specified footing profile. Once cured, the wall or structure above is built directly on top of the footing. This is typically a more targeted, smaller-scale excavation and pour than a full slab, though it still requires the same engineering rigour.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are strip footings used for a standard new house slab?
Not typically — modern residential house slabs in Melbourne are usually slab-on-ground systems (waffle or raft slabs) rather than strip footings with a separate suspended floor.
What determines strip footing size?
The load being carried and the soil’s bearing capacity at footing depth, calculated by an engineer for the specific structure and site.
Can strip footings be used for a freestanding wall or fence?
Yes — this is one of the more common residential applications for strip footings.
Do strip footings need engineering?
Yes — like all structural foundation elements, strip footings require appropriate engineering based on the load and site conditions.
Are strip footings faster to build than a full slab?
Often, for smaller-scale applications like a wall or fence line, since the excavation and pour are more targeted — but this depends heavily on the specific scope.
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