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Site Clearing, Footings and Stem-Wall Foundation

Bob meets Buba Barrow of Barrow Construction, the general contractor for the container-built housing project, and Ray Price of SPNHS, the project manager for the job. Barrow, a former engineer turned builder, explains how the stem wall foundation is constructed first with 20-inch by 8-inch footings reinforced with rebar that are poured to support a concrete block wall reinforced with #5 rebar set 32 inches on center. The cells are filled with concrete in a continuous pour to make a monolithic slab and foundation. This type of foundation, known as a stem-wall foundation, is the sturdiest possible support for a home built in hurricane territory and subject to wind, storm surge, and uplift. Bob talks to Price about the site clearing on this shaded lot covered with Florida Live Oaks. Once the central oak and the brush were cleared, Price supervised the pouring of the footings during a challenging set of delays in Florida's rainy season. The rectangular foundation is ready for the intermodal steel building units (ISBU's) that will arrive on site and be welded to the steel plates set in the concrete as weld points around the perimeter of the foundation.

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Chapters from this episode

Floorplans and Layout of the Container House Now Playing

Floorplans and Layout of the Container House

Converting Steel Shipping Containers to Housing Now Playing

Converting Steel Shipping Containers to Housing

Rebuilding Neighborhoods through Public/Private Partnerships Now Playing

Rebuilding Neighborhoods through Public/Private Partnerships

Facing and Insulating the Steel Shipping Container Now Playing

Facing and Insulating the Steel Shipping Container

Site Clearing, Footings and Stem-Wall Foundation Now Playing

Site Clearing, Footings and Stem-Wall Foundation

Clip Transcript For:

Site Clearing, Footings and Stem-Wall Foundation

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Now do you -- you're a former. Civil engineer computer engineer but now your contractor. Yes a lot more fun as it is it is being in the field and ray you're the project manager for these. For these. Installations as it were -- good thank -- first let's talk about standard traditional building technologies here in Florida. This is what we're looking at behind us right yes that's what we've been looking at behind us of is this. He's standing on -- when he by it is from -- would tool. On the fire we've lost so that's the foundation -- examined and then we've poured a slap slap it's. And then we've. Concrete block structure CBS CBS with. And -- flat we've Mossad six been unfaithful and just send known around in his. And -- hollows. Areas elm court. -- poured with countries so we've got one of the -- is building systems anywhere in the country or in the world of course because of the hurricanes in the building codes down here."

" Tell us -- bit about the conditions of the lot when we before we got here. Well a lot is in a neighborhood that is naturally shaded with a number two you can see we have wonderful old Florida live oaks all over the place. And the and the lot have a large oak tree in the center it was we have to move. And you basically have to prepare the lot from a lot of Russian and we were able to do that and."

" And actually start our photos last Wednesday yeah. Souls so we've poured footer is around or footings around the perimeter of where the new structure will be that's right. OK we did that on -- I think you've done a great job considering the weather is this is the rainy season isn't exactly -- we have we had great weather when we started a foundation started the site clearance. And the reverse happened when we started the foundation. Two days the rain delay in and -- we will basically just sitting around watching the clouds for a couple of a typical Florida story now let's look closely -- what we've got to is this. If this that were in -- kind of like little add on but."

" The main rectangle of the house will sit on this foundation here exactly what are we what are we looking at politically looking that. The the stem wall which is going to be the support. Or the now I asked the use referred or intermodal steel building units correct and that's a fancy word for old shipping containers right and so they're basically big rectangular steel boxes and where we're looking here is a steel plate. That'll be a well point right correct. Great I can't wait."

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Foundation repairs are expensive; help avoid major problems in the future by doing a regular checkup on your home. Inspect foundation walls for cracks; these can be caused by settling, expanding tree roots, or improper drainage. Inspect and clean out your gutters regularly and be sure that the drains direct water away from the foundation.

Choosing Between a Poured Foundation or a Crawlspace

Bob's back at the Mashpee site where he meets with developer Joe Valle to discuss the foundation that is being poured. Valle explains that the excavation work for an average foundation costs about $5,000 and includes the digging, backfill, and finish grading. The poured foundation also costs about $5,000, divided equally between the cost of labor and the cost of materials. Valle estimates it will take about 30 yards of concrete to pour the average foundation, which is equal to three truckloads. Bob questions the decision to pour a full foundation and wonders if it might not be more economical to build a crawlspace. Valle explains that the advantages of a full basement far outweigh any cost savings from digging and pouring a shallower foundation. The added living space is well worth the cost, especially since the foundation must be dug and poured regardless of the depth. As for a concrete slab, Valle says that the market does not support it in the Massachusetts area. Even with a slab house, a frost wall must be dug and poured, before the concrete arrives for the slab. Once the foundation is poured for this River Hill home, posts are set every 16 inches so that the sill can be bolted to the foundation and the house can be tied down to its base.

Demolition and Reconstruction of Victorian Foundation

Bob is with Tim Berky, the general contractor for the Rowley Victorian addition and kitchen remodel. He updates Bob on the progress since the footing for the new foundation was poured and repairs to the original foundation were made. Berky and his crew found dry rot in the existing entry and had to remove it completely. The mason had to create a sloping course to level out the existing entry foundation and repoint it to blend it into the new foundation work. Inside, Berky and his crew removed the bathroom fixtures, secured the pipes to prevent leaking, opened the walls to expose wires and pipes for shutoff, and began to cut the entry into chunks for removal. The sill was releveled and an adhesive was used to attach the new sill to the brick foundaiton.

Reviewing the Plans for the Foundation

Bob and Ryley make their first tour of the site where the foundation is already in place. Ryley notes that with a sloping grade you want to drop the foundation as you follow the grade so that you don't have a lot of concrete sticking above the ground. Bob points out that the beauty of a sloping site is that the basement provides really good living space. Looking at the smoothness of the foundation wall Ryley can tell that the contractor used new forms for the pour. The horizontal line in the wall indicates where during the pour one truck pulled out and another pulled in, not uncommon in a large pour. The honeycombing that Bob notices is purely an aesthetic issue which could have been avoided by vibrating the concrete during the pour but does not compromise the wall's structural integrity. Bob and Ryley finish up with a quick look at the plans for the basement layout.