8
You definitely want your footings to extend below the frost line, otherwise as the ground freezes below your footing it will swell (as water does when it freezes) and the force of the swelling WILL push your footings out of position.
Ice breaks mountains - a porch doesn't stand a chance. :) Dig DEEP. With a frost line going as low as 4', I'd dig down 5.
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7
This is a reasonable concern, but not necessarily a problem. It is not uncommon to have concrete forms the way you describe. The solution depends largely on the consistency of the concrete mix. A very wet mix will run all over the place, a very dry mix will hardly flow out the end at all. This property is known as the "slump" of concrete, measured in inches. ...
6
Burying the wood post will cause it to rot prematurely. Even ground-contact rated Pressure Treated lumber won't last forever.
The only benefit of burying the post (besides it being easier to do) is lateral stability. i.e. you can sometimes neglect lateral bracing this way.
Best practice for wood-post decks is to have the concrete extend above grade and use ...
5
How deep is the frost line in your area? Deeper than that. You may also need to use post-footing-base flares to get adequate load capacity on the bottom of your footings, depending on the soil bearing capacity (what it can hold per square inch, in pounds) and the weight of the roof and any roof loads, such as snow.
This type of thing, possibly:
Image ...
5
Finally found an obscure article that confirmed my calculation is correct. The Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) defines the various sizes of blocks used in US construction. They are each given a nominal size but the actual size is slightly smaller and accounts for 3/8" mortar joints. So when building lets say a retaining wall out of 16x8x8" "cinder" blocks your ...
5
Hmmm...no digging in the ground and no concrete.
Sounds like the four perimeter beams will be your foundation. They’ll need to be treated for ground contact (pressure treated) as you indicate.
Your total load will be about 220 lbs. (Live Load) as you indicate, plus about 800 lbs. in lumber and material (Dead Load). I did not add snow load as I’d assume ...
4
This map shows the frost line depth for each state.
4
In general you can use these guidelines.
These are very good guidelines that are widely recognized. However if getting inspected I would just ask your building department for their code requirements.
**NOTE***** This is how deep your footings would be in undisturbed soil. So for example if there was a regrading of the land - as often the case in new ...
4
Below grade you should not be using EPS foam - that should be XPS (pink or blue, normally) - above grade EPS is fine. EPS is not waterproof, XPS is. You can also increase your subgrade insulation a bit by setting a sheet (or portion of a sheet) going flat or angled slightly downwards away from the house at the top of the footing.
If drainage is a concern (...
4
X-brace the structure (under the raised deck of the "fort" part) so that the posts work together to BE a structure. Run opposing diagonal lumber from the bottom of one post to the top of the one next to it, and vice versa. At that point your posts should not be bending at the attachment point, so they should stay put just fine.
4
Can I convince you to not do this ?
Honestly not trying to be an ass.
Please, please - Get a quote from a company that builds retaining walls.
The quote will cost very little or nothing.
You will be shocked at the cost, and not in a good way.
The quantity of material needed to build the wall, will amaze you.
Please get a quote or two first.
I promise ...
4
Concrete does not have very good tensile strength. Rebar is laid in such a manner that it adds tensile strength in the concrete.
Depending on the size and weight load the pier/footer assembly is expected to support and the length of the pier, it could be reinforced in the following manner.
A rebar circle in the footer to prevent weight spread from cracking ...
3
Using the old footings sounds fine, so long as they've done their settling or were poured off kilter to begin with, it's those new ones I'm not too keen on, that will just sit on the ground. If you are going to use pier blocks, you might as well use the old questionable footings; can't be any worse then just using a rock.
You mentioned frost which means 3~5'...
3
Option #2:
Unscrew the other three feet a little bit.
3
Your cheapest and easiest option is a spacer under the foot. A small piece of plywood or a couple of wood shims will do the trick. Both will be available at a home improvement center or lumber supplier.
3
I am a site coordinator for a tower construction company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. I am currently working on a project where we pour pad and pier together (because it is fairly easy and is required by our engineering department). If you get your concrete appropriately thick (3 slump?), it should stack up into your Sonotube pier without blowing out.
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3
Comment by @BillDOe is correct: it should go the required depth for the post, measured from the base of the retaining wall as if there was no wall and no retained earth there. As long as it has sufficient depth, it can be arbitrarily close to the face of the retaining wall.
You don't mention if you are planning/required to pour a footing for the post. That ...
2
You need to place the footings deeper than the frost line. Some research says the frost line in CT is around 42" so you'd do well to put the posts down 48".
The city will be able to verify this when you get your permit approved.
Count yourself lucky... In Ottawa, Ontario I had to put them down 60"... and they still heaved one year.
2
Your instincts are right. Do not bury the wood post!! We always use either a 6 or 8 inch Sonotube filled to slightly above grade or a 36 or 48 inch precast porch post.
If you decide to use the tubes, here is a little trick: when you start filling the tube, put in about 12 inches of concrete, then lift the tube slightly so some of the concrete flows out of ...
2
Without an integrated spread footing form (Like Sonotube tube base or Bigfoot), I would split the pours.
Pour footing:
Place the rebar (A pair of L bars spaced at 7 inches apart will center tube). On the next day or after firm to firm pressure (>3hrs), place tube, back-fill carefully (to keep tube centered), tamp soil.
Pour pier:
Complete the pour, add ...
2
In such situations, implanted (vertical) pipe can be used.
For 4x4 posts, I'd choose 6 inch pipe.
Cut the pipe and dig holes as appropriate, perhaps so that 2–3 feet are underground and only 4-6 inches are above ground. If the ground is soft or wet below that, place pier foundations first.
Temporarily secure the pipe segments in place with stakes, ...
2
Lifting it (slightly) in place may allow you access to do repairs.
If there is enough solid footing, use (2) 2x10s bolted across the studs (parallel to roof peak). Lift both 2x10s parallel to floor (disconnect all tie downs first) using 4 bottle jacks. Cut 4 2x4 cripples to attach to studs under 2x10 at desired final height (for safety and to backup jacks....
2
Dry stacking and filling with rebar and concrete sounds like a great idea. Pretty easy and brainless.
2
There is no minimum or maximum distance from a foundation, footing, panel or otherwise.
It is best to keep it as close as possible, but nothing dictates this by code.
The main thing you want to avoid is getting it a few feed down then hitting the footing. This is a PIA.
Here are the relevant code sections with regard to spacing.
Taken form the 2001 NEC.
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2
Use a sledgehammer and a large punch to drive out the old bolts. For one-time use, a spike just smaller in diameter than the bolts, with the tip cut off flat may work well-enough at a lower cost, if you don't have a large punch on hand.
2
If properly reinforced and if the actual footing (which the 12" column isn't, unless you have no flare or flat pad on the bottom, which you should reconsider unless you have stunning bearing) is of adequate size to support both the imposed load and the weight of the longer column, it should not be a problem.
But it's difficult to accurately assess such ...
2
You can order custom size window at homedepot , low's or Pella etc, which is more expensive than standard size. If feasible and depend on the interior and exterior of your building and compatibility with other window sizes, I suggest you make a rough-in for 5'0x3'0 window, that is standard size window, and after the installing the window you can correct the ...
2
It is a little small, but yes you can support a 6x6 post on a 10" diameter concrete pedestal. However, any steel hardware you embed in the concrete to attach to the post needs to have proper clearance from the edge of the concrete. Code requires 2" clearance. Something like a Simpson PBS66 would work. Make sure you consolidate the concrete well, so you don'...
2
If this will be used as a serious heating appliance, (I'm inferring from "masonry heater") not merely decoration (as many fireplaces are), I'd go with uninsulated footing, especially if the stemwall is insulated - whatever thermal bridging takes place will be to the "bubble" of dirt inside the stemwall, which can play into your thermal mass.
http://www....
2
Ecnerwal is right that the if the footing is uninsulated, some of the heat will escape into the dirt under the house, where it will sort of be stored due to (I hope) your insulated slab perimeter walls keeping the heat in. However, unless that space is fully insulated on all sides (e.g. under the dirt on the same plane as the footer), there will be heat ...
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