footings

[lovemytoys]

ok i will see if i can explain this better .i called a comp.in to dig the footing and they said they will do a 8'x16' footing for $1700 .they also sent it to the company that does there cement work.he wants to do 16x20 footing for $2400.00 and 8"x4' fondation wall in cement for $3600.when i spoke to the inspector i said i was going to do 8x12" footing and he seamed fine with that .so i have 3 sizes of footings

 

[Carl_NH]

lovemytoys,

Whats the size of your structure in total? The footers/footing is the base the buiding sits on. Is your garage/building 24x36' 30x40' and what are you building - in other words IT depends on your end project which hasnt been stated (unless I missed it)

In NY I would assume you need to be down at least 24-36" for a frost line or you can do a monolithic slab foundation like I have done in in NH 18" deep and 24" wide perimeter with lots of rebar and 6" core. It depends on local buildinig codes.

It also depends on what you are building a small 12x16 shed, a 24x40 garage, or a two story structure.

Please enlighten us as to your end project goal.

Carl

 

[lovemytoys]

its a 16 x24 shed .guess my toys -tractor no cars or trucks and it 4 feet deep for footings

 

[ENG18LT]

Here in NY frost line is going to be 42". Typical footer is twice the width of the wall being set on it. Therefore 8" block frost wall would need 16" wide footer 8" tall. The block should sit so that there is an equal amount of footer showing on both sides of block. Also the footer should have two continuous rows of #4 rebar, must be held up off ground when pouring footer. They make wire stands for this. Block with mortar amounts to 8" height, so you will need footer plus 6 courses of block to get above grade enough to keep framing dry. Hope this helps.

P.s. - Make sure the footer is poured LEVEL!!!! If not you are going to be screwed.

 

[Carl_NH]

its a 16 x24 shed .guess my toys -tractor no cars or trucks and it 4 feet deep for footings

I would consider monolithic slab construction - essentially you scrape off the top soil and level the area, then dig a 24-30" x 18" wide around the perimeter, then add some crushed stone on the entire area, compact that and then set forms and rebar. The monolithic slab with a 18 x24 perimeter and rebar with a 6" interior concrete with the rebar will hold up in most climates.

It does depend on your subsoil and location - for instance you wouldnt do a slab on a 20 deg sidehill.

One last point about the size of your structure. It doesnt cost a lot more to do 24x36 than 16x24 and while you are at it build it big enough. Attached is my 24x36 mono slab build - two story clear span - no support posts on first floor.

 

[Deere Dude]

ok i will see if i can explain this better .i called a comp.in to dig the footing and they said they will do a 8'x16' footing for $1700 .they also sent it to the company that does there cement work.he wants to do 16x20 footing for $2400.00 and 8"x4' fondation wall in cement for $3600.when i spoke to the inspector i said i was going to do 8x12" footing and he seamed fine with that .so i have 3 sizes of footings

I guess I am wondering how the foundation or footing was poured physically. Whenever I poured a footing I always used 2x6s or 2x8s and set them about 16-24" apart and stake them in the ground. Put re-bar inside and pour and smooth off the cement. Your footings don't have 2x6s to hold the concrete at a certain width which seemed strange to me. It looks like they used the excavation as the border instead of boards. I just don't understand how they could get the top of the concrete level from one area the same as another area of the footing. Do you have any pictures of them actually pouring in the hole? The contractors must just have a different way of doing things, but it peaked my curiosity.

 

[sdkubota]

The size or very need of footings is based on area soil conditions. The 8" foundation wall is standard and anything thinner would be prone to breakage during backfilling. I would talk with some area house contractors or building inspectors to see what is customary in your location. If properly designed, a foundation safely spreads out the building loads on the underlying ground based on the loads and the soil bearing capacity. Most houses and garages really don't have much weight. There are instances in highly expansive soils where the foundation wall will be placed on the soil without anny footing to maximize the bearing capacity in an effort to limit future swelling and heaving. Around here, many garages are placed directly on "trenched" footings that are 8" wide without any bottom foundation and they act like a friction pile. As previously mentioned, some garages are placed on a "floating" slab which is a floor with a thickened edge. If frost is of little concern or you don't mind the building moving a little it can be an inexpensive alternative.