Foundations - Base for footings

Other groundworks tasks, such as roads and footpaths, terracing, fencing, foundations, walls and brickwork, tools and plant.
Post Reply
jjay
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 12:02 pm
Location: coventry

Post: # 10964Post jjay

I'm having a garage built at the back of my property approx 5m x 5m in size. There appears to be concrete laid down already and the builder has advised that if I want to save costs then he can lay down concrete blocks face down as footings and then build a single skin block wall on top that. Do you have an opinion on this ?
jay modesia

MatthewWakeman
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2006 9:38 am
Location: West Midlands

Post: # 10983Post MatthewWakeman

Could lead to a lot of problems in the future. Do the job right and sleep at night, Dig the footings pref into the clay min 500 wide and 500 deep concrete min 300 deep and build out of the ground. The problem with building from exisitng concrete slab is that it may well heave or shift and with a single skin wall it will only take slight movements to cause cracking. I am sure the existing concrete slab is not on clay or 300mm deep.

Fail to prepare prepare to fail

Tony McC
Site Admin
Posts: 8346
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 7:27 pm
Location: Warrington, People's Republic of South Lancashire
Contact:

Post: # 11005Post Tony McC

Aaah! A student of the Keano school of philosophy! You don't follow his thinking on anatomy as well, do you, Matthew? :D

If the builder could prove that the existing concrete is suitable, ie: that it is thick enough to take the weight, not riddled with cracks, and not crmbling away, and if they were willing to write an insurance-backed guarantee should there be any movement in the next, say, 10 years, then I might be prepared to listen.

Otherwise, I'd want to rip it out and do the job properly.
Site Agent - Pavingexpert

jjay
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 12:02 pm
Location: coventry

Post: # 11023Post jjay

Thanks
jay modesia

Post Reply