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I’m getting ready to pour some concrete and am having a difficult time finding definitive answers to a couple of questions I have.
1. When pouring a foundation wall and it “T”s into an existing concrete block basement wall what, if anything, should be placed between the block wall and the new concrete?
2. I will be adding a 6′ x 12′ x 4″ thk. concrete pad to the exterior back side of my garage (similar to a patio) and would like to know if I should put anything between the existing concrete block and the new pad?
3. Tree roots have pushed up a few sections of the sidewalk along the street and here in Columbus, OH it is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain sidewalks – even though it’s the city’s tree that did the damage. When I get ready to pour the new sections of sidewalk, what is the preferred treatment for the edges of the existing sidewalk that will butt up to the new sections?
Thanks for the help.
Replies
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Is your slab doweled into the block wall? If it isn't I would suggest an isolation joint..typical 10mm (3/8")asphalt impregnated fibreboard to separate the block wall and the sidewalk from any new concrete, seal accordingly.
TDC
*Question.....If the homeowner is responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalk and the city's tree is responsible for the damage, shouldn'd the homeowner be allowed to remove the tree as part of the maintenance program?God I love these questionsGabe
*Avoiding, One thing that shouldn't be done hastily by the sidewalk guy is chopping out those roots. Here in NW Ohio, every so often a storm topples a tree that had half it's underpinnings hacked off. A nasty situation when the homeowners are sitting in their car and waiting for the rain to slow up. Might want to program that 911 in your cell phone.Also, up here a city tree that damages the walk the city repairs at their cost. All other sidewalk problems are the owners responsibility. Might ask the service dept/bldg inspection again. Best of luck.
*In Ann Arbor ('tree town') you can get in to a lot of trouble with the city if you mess with one of their trees!(I don't know who pays if it damages the sidewalk though...)They are actually really nice people, in the city govt that deal with this. But the laws are written really scary in hopes that it will prevent too much trouble (they admitted to me that they almost never have to exercise the huge fines and penalties because most home owners are just as interested in caring for the trees and don't do stupid things too often - but they did not define 'stupid').
*Train Driver - thanks! No, the slab will not be doweled into the block wall. I have seen the asphalt impregnated fiberboard - I'll stick some of that between the new foundation wall and existing block wall and then again between the new slab and existing block wall. I'm assuming that I should get some sort of sealant and "caulk" over the gap to prevent anything from getting into the fiberboard. Any recommendations?As for the looming battle between me, the City, and the tree roots.....I don't plan on cutting many roots - sidewalk is not buckled more than 2". All I want to do, with as little red-tape hassle as possible, is to fix my sidewalk with a little extra concrete that I should have after pouring my slab. Gabe - after 2 calls to the city, I'm still under the impression that the maintenance and upkeep of both the tree and sidewalk are going to come out of my pocket unless the tree is completely removed. Since I happen to love trees in general, I don't want the city to even think that removal is an option. LOLMike
*Avoiding, The train driver suggested separating the new slab from the existing wall. I don't think he meant the new wall should be isolated from the existing. Personally, I would tie the walls together, possibly by just bashing a few holes through the block in way of the new wall. Then get some concrete flowing into the block wall to key the two together. TDChris? Am I reading you wrong?
*Ron,No, I was referring to the slab only...in the case of the new foundation wall, I agree that this wall needs to be tied to the existing directly. Typically this means that when you form and place your reinforcement that you run tails (dowels) into the existing block wall, epoxy accordingly. I would do this for your wall and your strip footing if that's how your foundation is setup.Avoiding, as for a joint sealant, I have used Sikaflex with success...I am not sure if you can get that down there.TDC
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I'm getting ready to pour some concrete and am having a difficult time finding definitive answers to a couple of questions I have.
1. When pouring a foundation wall and it "T"s into an existing concrete block basement wall what, if anything, should be placed between the block wall and the new concrete?
2. I will be adding a 6' x 12' x 4" thk. concrete pad to the exterior back side of my garage (similar to a patio) and would like to know if I should put anything between the existing concrete block and the new pad?
3. Tree roots have pushed up a few sections of the sidewalk along the street and here in Columbus, OH it is the homeowner's responsibility to maintain sidewalks - even though it's the city's tree that did the damage. When I get ready to pour the new sections of sidewalk, what is the preferred treatment for the edges of the existing sidewalk that will butt up to the new sections?
Thanks for the help.