Would it be advisable to place an expansion joint between the cinder-blocks, I’m using to construct steps, and the house fondation ?
I did place one on the footing.
Thx, Scott
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Replies
Hunh?
never heard of
We do all we can with remire to tie things together firm..
Just how much you think porch steps are going to expand?
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Unless the stairs are going to be on a footing that is just as deep as the house I wouldn't want to tie them together. If the stairs move it could damage the foundation. I've seen precast concrete stairs that are sitting on a steel angle on the house side. It's the angle that is bolted to the house and the stairs sit on a couple of bricks under the outer edge. It swings up and down with the frost Every couple of years someone jacks up the front and slips a scrap of PT under it. I've also seen much larger stone stairs just standing on their own foundation against the house. In both of those cases some kind of expansion material would keep stuff (like your house key) from falling into the crack between the house and the stairs.
What reason would a person have for not laying a foundation deep enough to avoid frost movement anyway?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"What reason would a person have for not laying a foundation deep enough to avoid frost movement anyway?"
If, as in this case, the stairs are being added to an existing house. In the case of precast concrete stairs. The house was finished, the stairs delivered and plopped in front of the door. The gap was hidden by a stair rise board where the house's skirt board was and the trim around the door was extended down with the use of plinth blocks. No foundation to dig and build.
I'm going to guess that the stone stoop was a more expensive version of adding the stairs to the house after the house was finished and the landscaping done. The stone stoop was deep. Just not tied to the house.
Here in Boston I've even seen new construction where the foundation for the stoop was poured at the same time but separated by an expansion joint. I remember wondering why the expansion joint because the plans I saw called for a bay in that location. The bay started one floor up and there was the stoop, the same shape, under it.
We do all we can with remire to tie things together firm..
Now I went and looked that up..............not having much luck.
You mind 'splanin that to me Lucy?[email protected]
Turn the maround a bit like this - re3ireoops, more like this - reEirehang with me a minite. I'll get it - rewire!how's that?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I guess I was hoping to learn a new word.
Just another piffintypo ;)[email protected]
Like Piffen said. No expansion joint, tie it tight to the foundation wall with rebar .
Are there footings under the stairs, I hope?
I've seen to many stair and porches pull away or subside from a foundation wall beacause they were buit on fill dirt and not proberly tied in.
Dave
Yes, 8" footing with 1/2" rebar in footing. Steps will be covered with a porch roof.
Tie it in with those metal ties or rebar ?
Thx, Scott
Until somone with more experience answers, I'd say use re-bar--ties (like brick ties?, I think that's what you mean) seem a little flimsy for that purpose.
I think maybe trhe ties you guys are mentioning are the corrugated wall ties that are mainly for securing a veneer to a framed structural waall
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, that's what I was thinking of and felt they wouldn't do much to hold a porch onto a foundation!
I lay the block with ladder wythe in the mortar joints.If the main wall is already built and you are setting to it, I pop a hole in teh bock at the joint every couple courses and set rebar in there, then pour those cores full
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
>> ladder wythe <<
Interesting.... I never heard it called that. We just call it "ladder wire". Or, maybe that is the way you spell "wire"? :-)
interchangeable term. Wythe is probably the old world etymology of it.You mayhave noticed I use some other ancient terms and spellings also, including potatoe with an E
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
yea - and IIRC you don't know how to spell 'color' either :-)
To me wythe is refers to the number of vertical plies in a masonry wall - ie: a 3 wythe brick wall.
Oh I forgot to state - cultured stone facade on steps and on kitchen island and probably the remaining exposed foundation walls too.
Scott
Yea.... those cultured stone $$$ add up quickly... $13 a sq foot doesn't sound that bad but you can spend $10k on a foundation easily...
Yeah the cultured stone I've priced is about $7.50 a sq. ft.
When all is done I'll submit pics.
I'll probably be done by the end of June.
Thx,
Scott
That $7.50 a sq. ft. must be for materials only... What brand are you looking at?
Yea... I'd like to see the pics.
Yeah materials only, I'll be doing the work. Brand............ umm I don't remember, when I see it again I'll post it. It'll be from the local mason supply center here in Syracuse.
I would do it like Piffen, agian.
Lay it up with ladder wire (Durawall is one type I use), and use #4 rebar into holes in the house foundation wall, then slush all cores, that have rebar, full of concrete. Check with you block supplier to see if they have block with a low web design, or even a bond beam in every third course will give you plenty of room to lay in rebar and anchor it in concrete.
Dave
IMO the first thing of importance is that the step footing be tied to the house footings. With new construction, they are all just poured at the same time. With an add on, I'd drill into the house footings and put rebar pins between the house and step footings (step pad). Your overall goal is to get zero differential movement between the steps and the house, that is why there is no expansion joint, etc. What is the house foundation made of, and how deep is it?
BTW - You said you were building steps out of cinder block... what are the step treads to be made of?
Limestone treads -
House is already built (almost two years old)
Footing was poured three days ago, it has rebar in it 1/2" & 5/8" - 8" thick
down about 36" +
thank you ALL for your input
Scott
Limestone treads...
I really like that look. Less common here in the south... For my (our) next house I'd like to do a faux stone veneer on the foundation and on the steps with natural stone treads. Still working on the DW for just the house part - details are a long ways off... She has agreed in concept but there are still a LOT of discrepancies... :-)