BEFORE THE ARCHITECT – CUSTOM HOME DESIGNING BACKGROUND – HOUSE DESIGN ARTICLES
ALL ABOUT HOUSE FOUNDATION PROBLEMS and YOUR HOUSE FOUNDATION PLAN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OVERALL
By Before The Architect Copyright 2009
Dear Boy, To do the heavy lifting, you must get up on your hind legs, bethey physical legs of bone and muscle or metaphorical legs of knowledge and commitment. Before The Architect
QUESTION: WHASSUP WITH HOUSE FOUNDATION PROBLEMS?
ANSWER: PRETTY NEAR NOTHING WITH A GOOD HOUSE FOUNDATION PLAN.
Not even the big boys get it right all the time . . .
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A House Foundation Plan needs -o A floor plan for each level including a below-grade level before a house foundation plan can be complete, in order to be sure of adequate support for anything immediately burdening, which, in turn, means clarity in load paths from roof on down
o A slab-on-grade, slab-on-grade insulation, slab-on-grade foundation detail, unless there’s a crawlspace - noting that a slab-on-grade is also known as a monolithic concrete slab
o Posts and piers if there is a crawlspace
o Reinforced concrete foundation wall
o Separately, identification of all interior or exterior spot, concentrated, or point load suitable for thickened slab-on-grade, spread footing, grade beam, etc.
§ bath appliance
§ refrigerator/freezer
§ pool table
§ island
§ load bearing columns or piers
§ major kitchen appliances
§ interior bearing wall
o Key inclusions
§ concrete performance metrics, e.g., compressive strength in 28 days
§ reinforced concrete design, e.g.,
ü maximum aggregate size
ü prescribed amendments
ü proscribe amendments
ü resolution procedure for amendment inclusions
§ details of rebar size, types of rebar, rebar detailing, grade, lap, rebar fabrication on-site, and connections at changes of footing and wall direction so as to affirm a right way to reinforce a concrete foundation structure, which strengthens it, and the wrong way, which crumbles it
§ an alert to foundation contractors and radon mitigation contractors of a radon mitigation plan (assuming one) thereunder on another sheet, which plan must be initially executed with the foundation plan, else the careful preparation of substrates below the slab on grade to let to exhaust down and out for condensate and up and out for vapor would be for naught
§ extensive design and construction notes - too extensive to fit within the habitable footprint - on wide-ranging subjects of defined
ü foundation materials and methods, majorly including reinforced concrete slab-on-grade exterior deck at front of house and back of house
ü outlined and defined linear inch width of reinforced concrete wall
ü outlined and defined reinforced concrete strip footing
ü monolithic, reinforced concrete interior slab-on-grade
ü perimeter footing drain - exterior or interior and exterior
ü concrete steps at front of house and side of house; garage slab-on grade at L1; anchor bolts; etc.
ü notes on critical matters including siting of bond breaks and depth metrics for footings and perimeter foundation drainpipe
ü notes specific to this foundation plan including but not limited to
Ø metrics of rebar cover
Ø rebar support preplacement
Ø fill limits
Ø guidance on various meshes in type and site
Ø floor truss or floor joist support
Ø floor truss or floor joist direction
Ø guidance on thickening the reinforced slab-on-grade XE "slab-on-grade"
Ø sill plates size and type and coverage prescriptions
Ø subslab conduit dimension, direction, and content
Ø truss designer’s responsibility to alert for adjustments to identified foundation elements for previously unexpected critical load path descension, etc.
Ø alert to contractors in regard to the respect of this plan that's expected, plus motive and method to amend it
§ Dimensions between footing corners on exterior or perimeters
o Note well that within perimeter foundation, annotations and dimensions continue
§ annotations include but not to the exclusion of others –
ü garage and exterior slab-on-grade pitches in rate and direction
ü guidance regarding methods and materials
ü reinforced concrete grade beams
ü modified grade beams
ü concrete walls and strip footings interior to the perimeter
ü thickened slab-on-grade
ü pilasters
ü construction joints, among them, monolithic concrete isolation joints
ü sites for slab-on-grade lets for DWV and radon condensate plus radon gas vent pipe stubs
ü at-slab-on-grade passages, in order to alert as to anchor bolt siting
ü expected orientation of floor joists at L1
ü amendment to general instruction for floor truss support to hang rather than rest
ü specifically identified elements the structure of which is to be done by others etc.
§ dimensions include –
ü footing articulations, selectively, on the interior at interior sides of face or corner-to-corner
ü spread footing centerpoints and types
ü control, or contraction, joints between on-centers and to interior, t-wall sides of face
ü triangulated centerpoints to DWV and radon mitigation stubs; etc.
Comment: This home designer never runs electrical cable or water supply pipe below or within slab-on-grade without a continuous sleeving in Schedule 40 PVC.
Comment: This home designer never runs HVAC conduit below or within slab-on-grade.
o Finally, both exterior and interior to the perimeter foundation, itemized notes of design and construction methods and materials may be placed as needs be, e.g.,
§ caution as to outstanding uncertainty about nature and character of finish clad
§ contractor responsibility to identify certain through-concrete wall doors rough opening before formwork, etc.
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