103c: Foundation Supports

Question 1

Can I store stuff in a crawl space foundation?

Answer 1

Yes

Question 2

Can I have a full height basement that’s 2ft high?

Answer 2

No. There’s no living space….

Question 3

The soil under my foundation is solid but is prone to move around…is there a point load type foundation I can use to isolate how much soil area I cover?

Answer 3

Grade beam foundation

Question 4

Do I need to excavate below the frost line to build my driveway? How come?

Answer 4

No. You are building a slab on grade

Question 5

My garage needs a little extra support, but I’m not digging down below the depth of frost penetration, what could I do?

Answer 5

Make a thickened edge slab to reinforce the edges

Question 6

I want a really sturdy deck since I’m on a hill, and 2x10 won’t cut it. Thoughts?

Answer 6

Pour piles for the deck to sit on

Question 7

The excavator cut a bit too deep. Fortunately I ordered 10% more concrete than I needed to poor my telepost footings. Is it salvageable?

Answer 7

Yes, you can thicken the footings with more concrete to make up for the height loss

Question 8

The beam is a bit heavier than I thought and my engineer wants more support under the telepost. Is there a way to get a thicker footing?

Answer 8

Build a pier, so the middle has more concrete and more support

Question 9

My basement footings step down a total of 3 feet. I’m lazy and only want to do one step that’s 5 feet long. No harm right?

Answer 9

Wrong. Step footing has to be at a run:rise ratio of 2:1

Question 10

The outside of my building has some pretty big columns at the front…but I can’t stop and pour a pad right in the middle of my strip footing. What should I do?

Answer 10

Construct a combined footing that splices a pad and strip together

Question 11

Is there something I can use to support my bearing wall in the basement? I DON’T think the inspector will be stoked if I put it on the slab later….

Answer 11

Yes. Build a T footing to sit the wall on

Question 12

I fucked up and didn’t put rebar in one side of my foundation walls. What’s going to happen?

Answer 12

The soil pressure COULD cave it in since the inside face won’t have the added tensile strength

Question 13

My excavator is set to cut down to 2m…but I’m pretty sure I saw a sewer line on the plan at 1.8m….is that ok?

Answer 13

No. The excavation must be raised to account for the sewer line

Question 14

UGH, THE SEWER LINE IS RIGHT WHERE MY FOOTINGS HAVE TO GO. Any tips?

Answer 14

Bridge the gap over the sewer line trench. Reinforce properly, and it will still support the foundation.

Question 15

Will my excavation be the same depth at the top and bottom of the hill I’m on??

Answer 15

No. The top will be deepest, and bottom will be shallowest to create a level surface

Question 16

the U.S. of my footing to the T.O. My foundation wall is 1.6m and standing back it pokes out of the ground a bit….and my 1st floor is supposed to sit on grade. Is this ok?

Answer 16

No. The excavation should’ve been cut deeper to account for the grade height the floor is supposed to sit on.

Question 17

My boss told me to use a plumb bob to measure down into the ground…am I missing something?

Answer 17

Yes. You need to set up at least 2 pairs of squares batter boards in order to have a coordinate to transfer into your hole

Question 18

After bumping my builder level and relevelling it, I noticed a half hour later that it looks a little off to one side of my nail when I look down….is that ok?

Answer 18

No. The level has been moved off of the reference line. All the measured lines from the previous half hour are incorrect

Question 19

My bedroom door was fine years ago, but now it doesn’t want to stay closed…..

Answer 19

Your building may have settled unevenly and has caused a section of your foundation to drop or lift and pulled something slightly out of square/level

Question 20

My foundation wall is 6” thick. Jim thinks I can pour a 12w x 5h footing for it. Is he right?

Answer 20

No. If the wall is 6” then the footing must be AT LEAST:
-6” thick, and
-18” wide

Question 21

My boss had me rip a 2x4 at a 45deg angle but I have no clue where it goes….

Answer 21

It’s a key way to form the connection point in the footing for the wall to sit later. The cut bevel makes it easier to pull out after curing

Question 22

I thought my forms were good to go but the concrete spilled down the ends of my step footings like a waterfall! WTF?

Answer 22

You didn’t install bulkheads to control the flow and form the top edge of the steps

Question 23

My footing concrete spilled out all over my excavation. Ffs….

Answer 23

Your side boards were probably too high off the ground…or your concrete was too wet

Question 24

The top of my strip footing is WAAYYY narrower than the bottom, what happened?

Answer 24

You didn’t install a spreader to maintain proper spacing at the top of the form, so it leaned inwards