Hello Everyone,
I was looking for some assistance in a project that I am ready to undertake this fall and am in a desperate need of some advice if what I am going to to is safe.
To first describe the situation: I have a raised ranch with a double sliding door in the back of the home that opens up to a deck in the back. Underneath the deck is a type of storage shed. Here is where I plan to start my next project.
What I would like to do is remove the cedar siding that makes up the walls and excavate the entire area so that an additional sitting area would be able to be made. This would include excavating next to the foundation of the home and going down about six feet.
My main concern is that I do not weaken the foundation of the home in this area. The total area of the foundation that would be visible once the excavating is done would be about fourteen feet long with the entire side of the foundation on this side being visible.
Is this safe?
Thank you in advance for your expertise and advise.
Replies
Mac, are you planning on digging down to the footings. If so it, depends on the area or climate where you live. If frost will be a factor you should not expose the footings. Here in the northeast 42-48 inches of ground is recommended from the bottom of the footings.If frost is not a factor, then exposing the foundation should not be a problem. Hope this helps and good luck. Dan
I live in the Midwest (Chicago) and I believe the frost line goes down to about 26 inches in the dead of Winter.
How deep would the footings be from the bottom of the house?
I have spoken to some people who have done concrete work on the side and they have said that you would go all the way down to the footing of the home....I thought better and wanted to obtain some professional advice.
I would assume that homes that have walkout basements have footings that go down further than a raised ranch like I have since the walkout would be at the bottom portion of the foundation.
Thanks
Mac--
Like Dan I also live in the Northeast and 4 feet is the general rule of thumb. The 26" figure for Chicago somehow strikes me as low, due to the latitude, but local knowledge rules. You definitely want to avoid frost forming under the footings, and more hypothetically, also best to prevent it from forming alongside the footing. Easiest way to find footing depth is with a pilot hole, a V-shaped trench ending a shovel wide down to the bottom of the footing is not going to destabilize anything. Actually safest to dig down just to the top of footing and measure up from there...
On second thought, I am now unclear what you are trying to do (i.e.: what the "sitting area" means). Are you leaving the pre-existing deck and excavating to achieve headroom or are you actually planning an addition? A bit more info would help...
Regards,
Rework
Edited 9/29/2002 8:41:05 PM ET by Rework
26" may be what the weatherman says .. or even local knowledge .. but your building code will say differently...
i'm betting 48" for your area.. so ..
you have to leave 48" of cover measured in an arc from the bottom outside edge of teh bottom of the footing... most walkouts have a frost wall that extends below the code required depth ....the ones that don't are asking for trouble..
there are some Scandinavian shallow footing techniques that can be used in conjunction with foam insulation.. but it will require approval by your building department...
there are also techniques used in areas of permafrost that do the same thing.. again.. prior approval is requiredMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike
I am in Kansas City and it is 36" here.
DeKalb, IL is 42"