Jump to content

Stepped footings


Jim Baird

Recommended Posts

I am trying to picture how they get the top level with no form boards. That kind of work disappeared here in about the 1940's.

When I framed houses in Atlanta, it was common to just pour the requisite width and thickness of concrete, wait for it to harden then form-up for the foundation walls.

The footing didn't need a smooth top surface.

A footing that was formed up nicely was exquisite..and a waste of time.

Marc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am trying to picture how they get the top level with no form boards. That kind of work disappeared here in about the 1940's.

When I framed houses in Atlanta, it was common to just pour the requisite width and thickness of concrete, wait for it to harden then form-up for the foundation walls.

The footing didn't need a smooth top surface.

A footing that was formed up nicely was exquisite..and a waste of time.

Marc

Not a waste if you plan to lay perimeter drainage around those footings. Level footings make the job easier. You can calculate how much concrete to order.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The soil here doesn't really support clean enough cuts to just pour in a ditch. By the time you finished jumping in and out to do the rebar, you'd have knocked the edges off, and as pointed out above, installing the drainage would require more digging around the new concrete. Forming footings does not take long and you can reuse almost all of the lumber. We generally stack the wall forms on top of the footing forms and pour the whole thing at once. We are often using a pump, so pouring once is a big advantage.

That said, there is a certain appeal to just cutting an outline and filling it with concrete. I assume that in Jim's area they are stacking block for the walls, not pouring concrete.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...