No footer

[Charlie R]

Had a good one today, a small one story ranch/cottage with a basement. Someone built an addition on the back, but it looked like they just built it on the concrete porch patio slab. Sure enough, I start to tunnel under, never hit anything but dirt.

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[Bain]

I see this several times a year. It's wrong, and I make an issue out of it, but I've never seen any signs of movement or other deleterious problems caused by the lack of footers. Typically, the new/old roof connections are atrocious and the valleys contain lots of goop.

[AHI in AR]

I see similar additions around here also. Perhaps surprisingly, most often there aren't big problems. Frost heave generally isn't an issue locally, and the soil in most areas I work in is pretty stable--not a lot of plasticity where moisture changes are an issue.

Farther north or in areas with expansive soil and you're on your own!

[John Kogel]

I would call that a "temporary addition, that was probably built without a permit."

I will point out that the wall is sitting on the slab and it will rot when people stop maintaining the caulk. And we know they will.

[inspector57]

Had a good one today, a small one story ranch/cottage with a basement. Someone built an addition on the back, but it looked like they just built it on the concrete porch patio slab. Sure enough, I start to tunnel under, never hit anything but dirt.

Click to Enlarge

87.25 KB

I see that all the time here in the land of slabs and expansive clay soils. It never works.