More concrete onto week old footings - Footings

[tommyanthony]

Hi, our builder poured the footings for a pair of three bedroomed two storey brick and block built houses on thursday. the trenches were 1300 and he poured 900mm of concrete but did not stake the corners out. the back left hand corner is 200mm lower than the front right hand corner and the bit in betwee tapers down from high to low. He says it would be too time consuming to make it up with brick and block and to get around this he proposes repouring over what has already been poured, next weekend. this would be around another 300 or 400mm of concrete on top of the 900 already laid. Will this method be structurally sound or is it essential that it is all poured in one go.any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

[digerjones]

hi tom, i think its ok, think we did it on site a few years ago. i would'nt say it was good pratice. not sure what bc would say. on site the concrete was poured and the brickies had to sort it out, they would have to cut bricks, blocks. when you pour footing you normally pour to gauge ie, 2 blocks 3 bricks to get you up to damp.

[local patios and driveway]

you need to speak to the building inspector at your local council.

[lutonlagerlout]

I cant understand why it was not levelled first time around
and if concrete is out of level normally us poor brickies have to set datums then cut blocks and bricks to suit
a strange set up
does he know what he is doing?
LLL ???

[Pablo]

your builder sounds like an idiot pouring the footing is not difficult and to have done it by eye shows a complete lack on attention that would have me feeling very nervous about the rest of his work. Any remedial work should be at his expense and not yours so time consuming or not its his fault and problem not yours.

[tommyanthony]

Thanks for the replies thus far, will contact building control today.....does anyone else have any opinion

[Dave_L]

One of the easiest things to get right.......the old alarm bells are ringing out loud.

Laser level is invaluable in this situation.

[seanandruby]

i would expect him to scabble the surface and drill holes for rebar, preferably u bars to reinforce and join the top and bottom 'beams.' what a chancer he is.

[GB_Groundworks]

As Sean said or you'll get a potential movement joint. We priced a job where the original grounworker had set the footings out wrong and bco wanted all the new footings along side the existing drilling and doweling with 20mm rebar at 400mm centres.

Surely they can just work the levels with the first few courses, normally our little treat to the brickies get them scratching their heads hehe but 200mm is a joke

Also you don't want the concrete to the surface most footings we do insists on 250 mm ground cover, did he not Mark his footing to level before pointing simple bit of ply and canof spray line gives you a neat line to work to.



Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1298916468

[dig dug dan]

crikey, on every garden wall i have done, i set pins into the ground at a level using the laser, spray can where they are, and level the concrete to the top of them. It leaves the brickies an easy job, and it takes no amount of time to get right.
Given that the foundations are the most important thing for a house, i would make sure they are done right first time.

[Mikey_C]

just out of interest did he offer/were there "any" mitigating circumstances!!!

[haggistini]

slap dash at best!!! first thing you see in the building game is a footing being level?

[joydivision]

Yeah 200mm out is a joke.
Even if he didnt have a laser level etc, it should be alot more accurate than that by pegging it. Even using the old tamp and level method he should be within 50mm!

Like said above, check with BC. I would have thought he would need to rebar them together tbh.

Allan

[Dave_L]

Given the amount of time that has passed since the opening post, I would hope that the problem has been addressed by now.......it would be nice for a bit of feedback from the OP!

Or is he down in his footings breaking them out or drilling in rebar?? :p

[simeonronacrete]

Scabble the top surface of the original to remove laitence and any loose concrete. Brush clean. Damp with clean water. Make up a bonding primer of Ronafix liquid mixed with cement, 1:1, brush onto damp concrete, and pour new concrete onto wet / sticky primer. That'll give you monolithc adhesion.

Happy days.