noticed people construct "footing" question is this just a northern thing or do people like me who live in west texas need this, I just thought you poured the floor (after proper rebar, etc.) and then when cured just bolt walls etc. to floor or use air gun for floor/wall nails. straighten me out on my stupidity on garage building...thanks.
question on foundation for garage
- Thread starter lt1driver
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Stuart in MN
Well-known member
It depends somewhat on location as well as the size of the building, the ground conditions, and local building practices. I'm in Minnesota, and many garages here (including mine) are built on a slab, but my next door neighbor's is on a frost foundation. Both work fine.
cyamaha2007
Well-known member
For a stick build you can do a monolith pour or a footing. Talk to the building dept ask whats needed or suggested for your area.
csp
Well-known member
No monolithic slabs in my area. The soil moves around too much, and not just from frost. Here we dig to below the frost line and usually have stem walls poured on top of footers, which can vary in width based on soil conditions, snow load, and building size. Engineered drawings are required to get a permit.
buening
Well-known member
It also depends on if the garage is attached or detached. A detached garage can handle more heave and movement than an attached garage. Agree with the above, location, soil type, and building code are typically factors. In my area, the perimeter footings are strictly to support the walls whereas the slab is floating. Anotherwords, the slab isn't attached to the footings. We don't mind if the slab moves but we sure don't want the walls to be moving around.
Spudland_Dave
Well-known member
Here in ME its a mixed bag... Pretty much seen it done all ways.
I went with a plain ol floating slab on grade. Why? Because its cheap and I've had experience with a bunch of em. My dad has a shop of similar size on a plain slab and its been fine for 25 years. Wife's dad has a shop on a slab, again with no issues in 30 years...
If its an attached garage, IMO you got no choice..footer/stem wall is a necessity.
I went with a plain ol floating slab on grade. Why? Because its cheap and I've had experience with a bunch of em. My dad has a shop of similar size on a plain slab and its been fine for 25 years. Wife's dad has a shop on a slab, again with no issues in 30 years...
If its an attached garage, IMO you got no choice..footer/stem wall is a necessity.
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Falcon67
Well-known member
You need it. Use the foundation guidelines from Abilene as a guide or the basic IBC code. If it's small, like a one car - maybe not. If it's any size at all and you want a stable, long lasting foundation then yes - footer and beams. West Texas has very expansive soils and without a proper foundation, the ground will move your slab around and possibly break it. Been there, had that.
They use those deep footers up nawth because of frost heave issues. We can experience a little that, but it's very rare that we get that cold for any length of time. We really have no "frost line" out here. Usually it might stay below freezing for a couple of days, then it'll be 80. I painted my floor in December and it was about 85 the day I rolled it out.
Also - you do not nail the walls to the slab, you place galvanized 1/2" bolts minimum every 6' , no more than 12" from the corners and bolt the bottom plate down.
They use those deep footers up nawth because of frost heave issues. We can experience a little that, but it's very rare that we get that cold for any length of time. We really have no "frost line" out here. Usually it might stay below freezing for a couple of days, then it'll be 80. I painted my floor in December and it was about 85 the day I rolled it out.
Also - you do not nail the walls to the slab, you place galvanized 1/2" bolts minimum every 6' , no more than 12" from the corners and bolt the bottom plate down.
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Cyberbear
Well-known member
Being located in So. Calif. where we get earth quakes once in a while, it's most common to have a good steel reinforced slab with 12" x 12" footings and 3 1/2" thick floor at a minimum. This is where you never want to skimp, and I always use a 6 or 7 bag mix, anything less is used for fence posts, according to my concrete guy. I've been lucky and never had any cracks, but I always use plenty of steel. The 6 x 6 x 10ga mesh is good for holding the pieces together after some concrete cracks but #3 rebar is much better, and I usually go with 16" o/c, but talk with your concrete company and see what they and your contractor say for your area. Cheap concrete is not good, and good concrete is not cheap.
all building need footing. it would be a code violation without one, but the definition could confuse you, some are incorporated in the slab as a mono or floating slabs, some are stem walls. the building walls are supported in the footing, not the slab
Throbbin Rods
Well-known member
Four foot frost walls on footings. Poured floor on top of that.