Poor soil conditions can cause a footer to step down. You can also have a situation where a house has a walkout basement because the ground falls away down a hill.

That’s why it’s called a step footer. This footer is required where the building is constructed on sloped ground, or when part of the building will not have a full foundation.

Poor soil conditions can cause a footer to step down. You can also have a situation where a house has a walkout basement because the ground falls away down a hill.