If you’re fortunate enough to have a pre-existing concrete slab in your yard, then you are already halfway to building extremely solid storage shed. Building a House Step by Step - Concrete Slabs - Framing the House STEP 7: Concrete Slabs - Basements and garages (1-2 days) AND, STEP 8: House Framing and carpentry (1-3 weeks) Concrete flatwork, also called a concrete slab, for a basement and/or a garage floor, can now be constructed. Pouring a Slab for an Outside Oil Tank. Slab foundations minimize the risk of damage from flooding or the leaking of gas, such as radon, from a basement or crawl space into the house. Chopped liver?? Also, you posted this thread in the wrong folder. In real estate, a short sale is when a homeowner in financial distress sells their property for less than the amount due on the mortgage. Cost savings is one of the biggest advantages. you can do this easy as long as your not under a load berring wall simply excavate the dirt it should be decent dirt or your house is on piles second put a beam of wood or metal in the center of your room just for gigles your floor or celing for the basment slab should have rebar if it dosnt its old but no matter concreat does have some tinsle strength and shoring will eleviate this. Without knowing your soil type, even a hole with new wood floor over the  slab removed above to within 4ft of wall, and leaving 4 ft dirt embankment underneath during new basement wall pour may be very risky, as in sink hole. The concrete slab is often placed on a layer of sand for drainage or to act as a cushion. A home equity loan is a consumer loan secured by a second mortgage, allowing homeowners to borrow against their equity in the home. And Other Tough Questions, How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post Corners, Podcast 309: Flying Saucers, Rainscreen Walls, and Barndominiums, Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20, Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb, Expert insights on techniques and principles. Water and soils types would be first on my list of concerns to check out before starting. Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. Ensure Slab Construction (1) Concrete shall be cast against form work in accordance with CSA A23.1, "Concrete Materials and Methods of Concrete Construction". Just what correctional facility are you enrolled in? I'm thinking that your idea has some soundness, but not the intended execution. Ok, for those of you who don't get it, the Sabine separates Texas from Louisiana. Some houses don’t have a basement or crawl space under them but are simply built on a concrete slab – perhaps because the house sits on bedrock or a high water table. Depending on  the age of the house,the underbelly might be somewhat smooth due to insulation. I only needed about 8'X10' which would fit well within the space under the den; there would not be outside access, though. Please feel free to post again in one of those folders. Concrete is porous. No way no how (not having any stairs in the stairwell being amongst the least of your problems. Passive solar designprinciples and high mass construction work well together, and concrete slabs are generally the easiest way to add thermal mass to a house. Houses built on a slab lack crawlspaces, and there is no space under the floor. This will ensure that the concrete slab rests on a firm base and that the concrete slab does not start cracking. No floor joists, no beams, no posts. When it comes to building your own home and home’s foundation, deciding upon which type of concrete foundation to utilize is a critical first step. Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features. You have a rock-hard concrete floor and it seems impervious to water intrusion. Slab foundations are more common in southern states with warm climates, where the ground is less likely to freeze and cause the foundation to crack. The foundation that your house is built on can have a major impact on the structural integrity of your home. (2) The slab shall be not less than 125 mm thick. Concrete slabs on grade and basement slabs are weak and vulnerable to the detrimental effect of moisture which may lead to various problems. The house is then constructed on top of this concrete foundation. Besides, anyone knows a Cajun can't have a basement, it would be full of water. Follow these steps to prevent water seepage under your basement slab floor. A slab foundation is made of concrete that is typically 4"–6" thick in the center. It seems possible, but some questions I have: is the thin part of the slab strong enough to stand without the support of the soil underneath, or would it have to be reinforced/supported somehow? The disadvantages include that heating and cooling units may have to be installed on the ground floor, which takes up living space. This does not include any backcutting or "angle of repose" cuttting required. A concrete foundation is an essential part of any building, vital to a home’s overall value and safety. Among the factors that can result in a slab cracking are tree roots, soil displacement, earthquakes, or frozen ground. The slab has to go to begin with. By building a slab-on-grade home, you are choosing to substitute foundation walls with above-ground walls. I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way. So basically you would have to raise the entire slab including the home and then engineer a way to With the popularity of slab foundations, many do-it-yourself renovators face the task of anchoring wall framing to concrete. It might be possible to hire a house mover to slide beams at critical points under the slab. In other words, you are replacing concrete walls with a much more affordable and energy efficient wall assembly. Now if you could jack the house and change the foundation that would work. There are many ways to build a slab-on-grade (or frost-protected shallow foundation), the following is a step-by-step walk though of a thickened-edge slab floor we built. No, water isn’t going to soak up like a sponge, but concrete Concrete slab foundations are more common in states with warm climates where the ground is less likely to freeze and cause the foundation to … HI, I saw recently a web site where a man described a prefab storm shelter which was installed in his garage by sawing a rectangle out of the slab and excavating enough soil to set the shelter into the hole; it sat underneath his car when he parked it in the garage; sort of like a "grease pit" with a steel lid. For what you want to do location is everything, soil type, drainage, etc. Here are five reasons to select this type of base for a house: It takes less time for a concrete slab to dry. Here in Florida, most building foundations are concrete slab. Here are five reasons to consider passing it up: Although termites and other pests cannot gain access directly beneath the house, they can enter through the walls since the house is typically closer to the ground. KABLAM! What kind of engineering? However, concrete is porous. If you're really serious about this talk to a good structural engineer. Despite the advantages of this type of construction, a concrete slab is not for every house site or homeowner. Since nobody elese said it, I will, "Welcome to BT.". The decision to buy or build a home on a concrete slab depends in good part on the climate where the house is located and on your budget. Because the concrete slab is designed to sit on the ground, not to span an open basement, it is nowhere strong enough to do that without a number of heavy beams under it, spanning from foundation wall to wall. Will the excavation, even though it would not extend to the slab perimeter footings, disturb the support of the footings enough to cause foundation movement? Easy access is advantageous for those who are less physically able. It consists of a concrete slab (typically 4 inches thick) and a grade beam around the entire perimeter and under the load-bearing walls. You will not enjoy excavating by 5 gallon bucket through the stairwell. I expect that job is ready for a remodel by now. A concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings, consisting of a flat, horizontal surface made of cast concrete. Think of it as a horizontal application of vertical slip forming. Working from the bottom up is so much easier than working in the dark all hunched over waiting for the trickle of earth to become an avalanche. Randy, just dig the room under the slab. all these asshats claiming to be enginers and such need to go back to the basics of physics its not like you building under cardboard my bigest concern that deep is water but a simple sump pumped into your existing floor drain should work just dont over complicate it miners have been digging caves for a very long time so enginers hehehehe go figure out how to build a floating house, and just for giggles lets assume that the ground is baby crap why not just build shoring walls and shot creat using the dirt wall as your back forum not pretty on the back side but hey it works. Of course, they might be wrong too! People in my area don't typically have basements, and few of the builders know how to build them, so I was afraid to try to build one. There is no need to wait the several days it takes for the concrete in a poured basement to cure and dry. For improved insulation. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! That's why slabs have rebar - the steel provides the tensile strength that the concrete doesn't have. Mind you, this is all happening in the very dark, likely damp (even in NawLous'ana) soil, in cramped muggy conditions. bring donuts. I am planning a house with a walkout basement. Forming the concrete slab is the most important part of the task, making sure it … Leave the four corners intact and get three buddies to simultaneously finish the corner cuts. I disagree. There is currently no insulation under the slab, and the room under the garage has a low ceiling (approx 7 ft). Steel-reinforced slabs, typically between 100 and 500 mm thick, are most often used to construct floors and ceilings, while thinner … If you do not know how to design for soil shear characteristics and retaining wall design (or unwilling to learn), I'd shy away from a full basement attempt. In this video Andrew Donkin shows you how to lay a concrete slab. I do know someone who had a full 8 foot high cellar dug under half of his house. Alternately, you can pour a slab of concrete to serve as the roof of the room, but that requires a high level of steel reinforcement if you plan to cover the slab with grass and people will walk on it. Living rooms should face north in all but hot humid climates, to enable winter sun to invest warmth into the slab. Use these tips to keep cables tight and straight for a professional-looking deck-railing job. If you click on your name above (where it says "To: RandyR"), you will open your profile. Unless you want to join the ranks of the Darwin Award recipients or just want to make people pancakes. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." Then, cut the slab the exact size of the room. I understand Alcatraz is solid rock. Very generally, concrete is great for compression loading but is very poor in tension. Oh well hell yer Cajun, go ahead and do it! Building a saferoom in an existing slab-on-grade house requires the removal of a part of the slab and replacing it with a thickened slab if a concrete or masonry block shelter is built. But it would be fabulously expensive, probably more than tearing the existing house down and starting over. In the words of Clint Eastwood......."Do you feel lucky?". Then, we have to get wall up. Oh, and because Murphy requires it, you will have a soil pipe, the main house water line, and at least one other utility right in the way to cope with, too. Hey there the lion,  The thread you are responding to is 11 years old... Lol! Everything must be buried in the dirt prior to pouring the concrete. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming. Pouring a concrete slab for your new home addition can save you money if you do the job yourself. Ductwork for heating and air conditioning is usually run through the ground-floor ceiling, which means that it must be heavily insulated to retain the proper temperature. I'm planning to upgrade the home's insulation, and this seems like a major area needing attention. A do-it-yourselfer with basic skills can save the cost of a professional by pouring a small concrete slab to support an outdoor oil tank. The concrete is poured onto the ground all at one time. I know this would be expensive. Wrangling #4 & #5 bar in 120" lengths through the house and down in the hole does not sound fun. Before you get started throwing up a shed on your concrete slab, you’ll need to give it a thorough inspection. You should talk this over with a structural engineer and let them explain the hazards of your plan - as well as ways to safely do this. A home inspection is an examination of the condition and safety of a real estate property. All in all, this "close guess..."OK, but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not know how close.Thanks. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that each step of the job is done properly. Oh, and we'll be needing rebar in the hole, too. Nope, I don't; just clean missed it in your post. If the basement must be under the existing slab, then rather than excavate through the slab and attempt to keep the weight above from falling and the earth from trickling down the sides of the pit, an external approach might be more feasible. Some people find the lower-to-the-ground look of a slab house unattractive. Excellence is its own reward! That's sounding like a lot of work, though, isn't it? What Is Buying a House on a Concrete Slab? The slab falls into the hole and you have an instant poured floor on your new lower level roof! Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine. If you undercut an 8'x10' area under your slab, that portion of the slab has no underlying support (from the soil) and is totally dependent on the rebar to keep it from collapsing. A slab foundation is a large, thick slab of concrete that's used as the substructural base of a home, which is the lowest load-bearing part of a building and extends below ground level. Concrete may be tough as rock, but with the … Why not gravel? That's why you may have gooten some "noise" in this thread. You need to pay more attention. Doesn't sound liek a PE. We may need to look at some soil samples. Building a Sunroom Floor - Be Sure Your Floor Will Last Typical wood floor construction requires 18” diameter sonotubes, which are concrete filled to the ground level, 48 inches below grade. Always check for moisture in concrete prior to installing a wood floor by taping polyethylene over a clean place on the slab and allow 12 to 24 hours for signs of moisture to develop. A Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan is a mortgage insured by the FHA that is designed for lower-income borrowers. !Rich BeckmanAnother day, another tool. This gave me the idea. but if a cajun had a basement full of water, he be making money as a crawfish farm. I think it is possible to add a basement under a slab on grade house, and do it safely, and end up with a properly engineered structure. Would'nt it be easier if someone baked you a cake with a file in it? The finished area was about 24x30. We show you the best techniques for concrete forms. If it is built on a slab there is no crawl space or basement to budget for. If you are considering building or buying a home on a concrete slab, there are a number of benefits and drawbacks that need to be considered. Wanting to do similar but getting pushback from various people. Probably ought to wall off the room the work is in from the rest of the house while you are at it. Warning! What I was thinking of was removing the slab inside the under-stairs closet, where the basement stairs would have been anyway. This is particularly true when a builder has to carve a basement out of solid rock—a very expensive proposition. Since this is usually impractical, an alternative How to build a slab-on-grade with a thickened edge on standard soil. XPS or EPS high-density foam is typically used under concrete slab floors, in t… We would appreciate it if you could fill some of that in, especially where you are located!! In this webinar building-science expert Peter Yost shares what he's learned over years of using blower doors, IR cameras, and other diagnostic tools so you can make the most of your test results. This gets the concrete below frost level This can substantially compromise the structural integrity of the house and be difficult and expensive to repair. For instance, lifting tile off the floor, rotting hardwood, damping carpet, and coatings delamination. The entrance to your secret room Building a new home and thinking of putting a theater room under the garage. It is usually at least four inches thick in its center, although it can sometimes be up to six inches thick. I wondered, though, if they realized: if the car was in the garage and a storm hit, the car would have to be moved out of the garage before the shelter could be used. 8). One of the most significant potential disadvantages is if the slab cracks. So What Does Your Homeowner Association (HOA) Do For You? The nested ribs of the decking add integral beams to the concrete, strengthening the slab. In many cases, the home buyer can shave as much as $10,000 off the cost of the house. I have a 1964 rambler home with a heated room under the garage. The intended execution for drainage or to act as a horizontal application of vertical forming. Understanding the key benefits and disadvantages of both foundation types is crucial tunneling like 's. 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