Foundation

[Omaharosario]

The start of our foundation 48" deep

[Les]

Re: Foundation

It looks great but why so deep? Is your frost line really that far down?

Les...

[Omaharosario]

Re: Foundation

Frost line is 42" and I went 48"? Is that deep? Or I am The Best?JK

[mn8tr]

Re: Foundation

I am so thankful that I do not have to worry about a frost line, That is a LOT of extra work. I was born and raised in Omaha/C.B. and all of the family is still there, mostly Bellevue, Papillion and Millard. I sure hope that the weather holds for you during construction. Have a great build.

[roobqn]

Re: Foundation

Looks good so far. After much back and forth about the frost line and al we went with a floating slab. Basicall dug about a foot down and laid out pink insulation board then poured the concrete with rebar.
First year hte slab sat through winter with no problems. Now that we have the oven built and winter setting upon us we will see what happens. I don't think we wil have much of an issue.

I hope you can get your build tot h pount that onteh nicer days around Omaha you put in a few hours and work it through the winter. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Les]

Re: Foundation

Frost line is 42" and I went 48"? Is that deep? Or I am The Best?JK

Mine is built on DG. I only went down 10 to 12 inches and my back thanks me for it.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Foundation

Mine is built on DG. I only went down 10 to 12 inches and my back thanks me for it.

Sorry what is DG?

[dmun]

Re: Foundation

Wikipedia disambiguation page to the rescue

DG = Decomposed granite in this context

[Les]

Re: Foundation

Wikipedia disambiguation page to the rescue

DG = Decomposed granite in this context

Thanks David. It's pretty much like building on sand - extremely little (or none) frost heave.

[tferin]

Re: Foundation

Great looking foundation. I am from the Millard area and still have relatives living in Bellevue. I have just started my 40" WOF here this fall. I have the foundation and walls complete. Thinking I will have to wait till spring thaw before I can frame and pour the Hearth. I will hopefully post some Pics of my progress. Happy Building, Tom from DSM.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Foundation

Thanks David. It's pretty much like building on sand - extremely little (or none) frost heave.

So what does this mean to me? It gets -35 degrees in NE so frost line is a real concern. Even mailboxes in NE are suggested to have a foundation of 36" so I don't think I am to far off. Where do you think a foundation in NE should be? BC I still don't understand what DG has to do with Frost heave? If there is no Frost heave this this is a good thing rite? Let me know, just trying to get all opinions involved in a project similar to mine. Thanks

[dmun]

Re: Foundation

Where do you think a foundation in NE should be? BC I still don't understand what DG has to do with Frost heave?

Here's how it works. Frost heave is caused by freezing water, specifically ice lenses that grab on to foundations and push them upward. There are two ways of dealing with this. One is to dig down to below the frost line, pour footings six inches wider than the structure, on undisturbed soil, then build upward from there, as the original poster on this thread did.

The other method is to prevent water from getting to the foundation in the first place. A bed of six inches of crushed stone (Decomposed Granite is a term used in other countries) that is well drained will prevent your slab from sitting in the damp in the first place. Most freestanding ovens can be built by this method.

As a side note, there is a hybrid method called "frost protected shallow foundations" that was developed in Canada. Wings of insulation board protrude beyond your foundation to bring the frost line up to your foundation. It's been discussed here, but no one has implemented it to my knowledge.

[Omaharosario]

Re: Foundation

Here's how it works. Frost heave is caused by freezing water, specifically ice lenses that grab on to foundations and push them upward. There are two ways of dealing with this. One is to dig down to below the frost line, pour footings six inches wider than the structure, on undisturbed soil, then build upward from there, as the original poster on this thread did.

The other method is to prevent water from getting to the foundation in the first place. A bed of six inches of crushed stone (Decomposed Granite is a term used in other countries) that is well drained will prevent your slab from sitting in the damp in the first place. Most freestanding ovens can be built by this method.

As a side note, there is a hybrid method called "frost protected shallow foundations" that was developed in Canada. Wings of insulation board protrude beyond your foundation to bring the frost line up to your foundation. It's been discussed here, but no one has implemented it to my knowledge.

Great! So I did the rite thing so far? 48" down on a 8"thick and 14"wide cement footing then blocked up to grade, pea gravel mix for drainage around the base of the foundation and a layer of basement sealant on the outside for extra protection from the elements. Let me know.

[dmun]

Re: Foundation

That will work fine. I built my oven on sub-frost line footings, but I was building a two story masonry chimney. For a freestanding oven that's more than enough support.

[Neil2]

Re: Foundation

A third option is to build a well reinforced slab on grade and let the whole thing "float".