Stick built on Pole Foundation?

[balddave]

Hey all, long time lurker here.

I'm looking to build a 30x40 garage in western PA. I saw an ad in the local paper for a company whose website describes what they call an "outdoor wood foundation". Basically, put some posts in as one normally would for a pole barn, run treated skirt boards on both sides, then cut the posts flush with the skirt boards, and cap the assembly with another treated board on top to act as a bottom plate of sorts. Then you build on top of this "wood foundation" using normal frame construction (as opposed to pole construction).

Seems like an interesting idea, and the IBC appears to have provisions for something along these lines.

Does anyone have any specific experience, and comments or thoughts?

It seems like some of the best of both worlds. I like the frame construction for insulation, better compatibility with vinyl siding (which I'm considering), etc. and it has a cheaper and much quicker to construct foundation, that I could easily do myself.

I waiver back and fourth between pole and frame construction almost daily, and for what I want to do, I could easily make do with both, when i saw this though I was rather interested and thought it might be a viable option, but would like some input from the greater collective.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Kevin54]

Hey all, long time lurker here.

I'm looking to build a 30x40 garage in western PA. I saw an ad in the local paper for a company whose website describes what they call an "outdoor wood foundation". Basically, put some posts in as one normally would for a pole barn, run treated skirt boards on both sides, then cut the posts flush with the skirt boards, and cap the assembly with another treated board on top to act as a bottom plate of sorts. Then you build on top of this "wood foundation" using normal frame construction (as opposed to pole construction).

Seems like an interesting idea, and the IBC appears to have provisions for something along these lines.

Does anyone have any specific experience, and comments or thoughts?

It seems like some of the best of both worlds. I like the frame construction for insulation, better compatibility with vinyl siding (which I'm considering), etc. and it has a cheaper and much quicker to construct foundation, that I could easily do myself.

I waiver back and fourth between pole and frame construction almost daily, and for what I want to do, I could easily make do with both, when i saw this though I was rather interested and thought it might be a viable option, but would like some input from the greater collective.

Thanks,
Dave

I don't think I would care for that. What you then have is a void all around the perimeter of the building. Any water that you have inside could or would get down between the concrete floor and the inner band board. If going to all of that trouble, why not just frame up a slab, pour your concrete and build on top of that like they always do. You're not really gaining anything by doing it the other way other than saving what concrete would go there. Just doesn't sound good to me. And any void under a wall will eventually invite some trouble, as in ants, termites, or some other critters, whether it is treated lumber or not.

 

[balddave]

Good point on the void it would be difficult to seal, and insulate, although I don't see it being too much different from a pole barn.

Also it would be wider than the wall itself, which poses some other slight problems.

But I don't understand what you mean by building on the concrete, I need to get below the frost line. Maybe you're saying to have a footer and poured walls to grade? In that case I'm thinking that advantage here is price, and that I could make this wood foundation myself.

 

[Highbeam]

Sounds like a post and beam or peir and beam foundation. THey built lots of homes that way out here and many are still standing. Easy enough to replace the posts if needed.

For a real building/garage I would use a standard method, there's a reason that folks now build either pole or stick. If it was cheaper and easier to use post and beam then that's what we'd be doing.

 

[kbs2244]

Like he said, it is called a pier foundation.
Tons of them built right after WW II.
(The SeaBees used it as a standard foundation.)
Most still standing.
The only thing I would do to get up to today’s standards is to put one of those heavy poly ground covers over the dirt in the crawlspace.

 

[trbomax]

Thats sorta how I built our house except I excavated 3' for a crawl ,set the 6x6 posts 8'oc in both directions 3' below the crawl on 6" poured concrete cookies 24" in dia.Then sheeted the bottom 4' over 2x6 girts on 12" centers w/3/4" foundation grade plywood.The top girt was 2x12 and of course the 4 rows of posts inside the foundation just have double 2x12 carriers. The floor joist are staggered 10'-2x6,we could use 2x6 because the longest span in any direction is only 7'-6".r-19 unfaced between the joist then screwed 1" blue foam board under the joists with screws and fender washers.Put the deck over that w/ring shanks an 1 full large tube of adhesive per sheet. Painted the deck w/3 coats of grey rustoleum oil base deck paint after caulking all floor joints,and then stick framed the walls.All the exterior walls are of staggered stud construction useing 2x6 at 16" oc. Total framed wall thickness is 8 1/2 " this way.Fiberglass r-13 insulation on both sides,then sheeted with 1/2" reflective foam on both sides and taped.Steel sideing along the lower 2' and then 5/8 t1-11 above that,also glued at all joints and fastened with 2" stainless ring shanks. Below grade the 3/4 plywood is covered with 2" blue foam board,2 wraps of felt, tiled at the bottom with 2 drain pits, then back filled with drain rock. Crawl is dry as a desertand stays at 55 degrees all year. It is sealed so I power vented it,useing several wall stacks inside the inside walls that extend up into the attic. The 2 blowers run 24/7.