Foundation Help (for a Cabin)

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Can anyone explain how or recomend a book on how to build an inexpensive foundation for a 24x24 cabin.Thank You Don

-- Don Schwartz (donschwartz2002@yahoo.com), November 21, 2001

Answers

Response to Foundation Help

I assume you don't want to build a basement. So the other alternatives in a northern climate include (1) a floating slab (2) crawl space foundation and (3) concrete piers or treated-wood posts. A floating slab is like a garage floor. The site is leveled and compacted, a perimeter trench approx. 12" x 12" in dug for footings, and a bearing wall footing trench is also dug. Forms are placed around the perimeter, re-rod is placed in the footing trenches and reinforcement grid in the slab area and the slab is poured. Concrete block (crawl space) foundation is similar to basement construction except perimeter trenches for footings are dug as opposed to excavting a pit. Footings for the concrete block walls are poured below the frost line and once that is set up, the rows of blocks can be started on top of the footing. Concrete piers or treated posts are placed in holes augered to a depth below the frost line. A footing of either concrete or preformed footing block is poured or placed in the bottom of the whole. Cardboard sono-tubes are used to pour concrete piers. The tubes or wooden posts are cut to an exact height to keep the building level.

I know these are just brief descriptions. Maybe if you given us an idea of what appeals to you we can provide more info.
--Happy trails, Cabin Fever

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_mn@yahoo.com), November 21, 2001.

Response to Foundation Help

Piers are about the most inexpensive, and easiest to DIY. For a 24' square cabin... I'd guess 8' centers along 'front back', one row through the middle also on 8' centers... 12 piers total. The size of the piers depends on the dead load (actual weight), live load (snow, wind), soil bearing capacity and the type of pier itself.

576 sq' single storey, say 100psf (total elevated floor and roof load) = 57600 pounds. 57600 lbs divided by 12 piers = 4800 lbs per pier. If your soil bearing capacity was 2500psf (poor), you'd need an 8" thick (from a table) concrete footing (below the frost line) of about 2 square feet (4800/2500). 2 square feet is about a 20" circle. Then you need piers strong enough for 4800lb loads. These figures are just estimations.

-- Jake (Jake@home.com), November 21, 2001.


Response to Foundation Help

If you do use raised piers be sure to place sheet metal termite shields on top of the piers. Termites will tunnel through the concrete to get to the wood, persistant little devils.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 21, 2001.

Response to Foundation Help

Termites will tunnel through concrete? I'm Santa Claus. I cannot say it is positively untrue but I am 99.9% sure that is untrue...

-- Laura (LauraLeekis@home.com), November 21, 2001.

termites will travel up inside block piers and will run tubes or tunnels up soild piers.

-- paul a coleman (wormfarmerone@yahoo.com), November 22, 2001.


DON....YOU CAN BUILD A RUBBLE TRENCH.A TRENCH FILLED WITH OLD PIECES OF CONCRETE AND ROCK TOPPED WITH GRAVEL.THEN POUR A GRADE BEAM ON TOP OF IT.[FRANK LLOYD WRIGHTS MASTERPIECE].THE RUBBLE PREVENTS FROST FROM HEAVING THE WALL .BUT RUN A DRAIN TO DAY LIGHT. THE FLOATING SLAB IS ALSO QUITE GOOD.FROST PROTECTED SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS IS ANOTHER....JUST DO SEARCHES ON THE NET UNDER THESE HEADOINGS TO GET THE IDEA. AS FOR WOODEN POSTS THET WOULD GIVE YOUR HOUSE ABOUT A 20 YEAR LIFE EXPECTANCY. IF YOU CAN GET A COPY OF THE BOOK PUT OUT BY UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA "STACKWALL AND HOW TO BUILD IT." THEY USE A SHALLOW GRAVEL BERM THEN BUILD ON CREOSOTED RAIL ROAD TIES.ITS DESIGNED FOR NORTHERN CLIMATES BY THEIR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.ITS DESIGNED TO CARRY CORDWOOD WALLS AT 928 LBS PER LINEAL FOOT .[EXCLUDING ROOF AND SNOW LOADS].THERE ARE TWO IN MY AREA OVER 20-30 YEARS OLD. I FIND WHEN YOU BUILD OFF THE GROUND THE FLOORS ARE ALWAYS COLD.PLUS IT HURTS ON RESALE. HOW ABOUT A STONE FOUNDATION AS IT WOULD ENHANCE THE LOOK OF THE CABIN.

CORDWOODGUY

-- CORDWOODGUY (cordwoodguy@n2teaching.com), November 22, 2001.


Go to countryplans.com and read the questions and answers in their forum. They are very helpful and the guy who runs the site is an architect. larry

-- larry (karlog@rocketmail.com), November 22, 2001.

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