Foundation aligned with walls of 3 season room?
First, my apologies if this topic is addressed elsewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
Second, I’m not a pro – just a homeowner – so this might be a truly dumb question.
We are working on a house plan with a builder, but wanted to get input from others on this question:
The attached picture shows the situation. We plan to have a 3 season room in the house. I believe that ‘normal’ practice is to have the foundation follow the exterior walls of the house (the Yellow lines), and that the 3 season room would be ‘outside’ of the foundation. But there will be a finished basement below this room. So to simplify the foundation, and make the finished basement space work better, I’d prefer to have the foundation wall be along the red lines shown in the picture.
How crazy is doing what I’m thinking? The last thing I want is to go down a path that leads to quality issues down the road.
We will be building in New Hampshire.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Replies
Not clear where the basement walls and foundation were going to be, and where you plan tom move them.
what does the rest of the house look like?
where do second story walls and roof fall ?
What does the builder say?
I don’t know how the rest of the house sits with just this corner of the plans. There’s a foundation under the perimeter of the 3 season room, so was the space under it going to be a crawl in the original plan?
Moving the original wall out might just mean beam, posts and footings to carry the floor above.
Best talk to him before you seek permits and break ground.
I've attached a more complete view of the plan as well as a rendering.
- The project is a new house, so nothing exists yet.
- The plan shows the first floor.
- There's a basement below (partially finished, walk-out basement)
- I would like the foundation walls to follow the 'red lines' shown on the lower left, but am not sure this is an okay thing to do - I believe they'd more normally follow the 'yellow' lines
- The second floor follows the 1st floor exterior shown, except at the 3 season room where it follows the red lines.
thanks again
The rendering seems to match your red line for a foundation and basement wall (as far as that corner of the basement looks. Is there a previous rendering that has the basement indented so that the entire area under the 3 season room is outside the basement?
do you also have a second floor plan and a plan for the foundation that matches?
The support columns under the 3 season room have to have a solid foundation, just as the house does. the deck columns also need a good foundation. NH location will dictate all below the frost depth.
Your builder will have to include a beam across the top of the 3 season room to carry the loads above across the empty 3 season room and to the foundation below.
Thanks - yes, understand there's load carrying considerations. Also, the framing in the rendering isn't accurate.
I'm really just wondering if it's okay for the 3 season room to 'straddle' the foundation wall, with half outside the foundation perimeter and half within.
It complicates the structure a bit, but as long as the loads are properly supported, it should be fine. You would be well-advised to have an engineer review the foundation plans with a view to the local soil structure.
It also means that you will need to seal and insulate below, above, and around the three season room. (where it interfaces with the 4 season part of the house)