What’s a basement footing?

The basement footing is a block of concrete, typically 16-20 inches wide, that your basement foundation sits on. The basement footing is responsible for distributing the weight of your house so that it will not sink or settle. The soil that your home is built on plays a large part in the type of basement footing that is needed. If you live in an area that has loose soil, then your basement footing will need to be wider.