Re: Standalone 20x24 workshop foundation questions

[Egon]

Pile = pile

Pier = pier

They are spelled different.
Piles come in many different design forms, how they are installed and how they accomplish their load bearing capabilities.

[Beaverfever1988]

What type of foundation does your house have, how far from the proposed garage is it and is your house foundation having problems?

Could you post a picture of the area you would like to put the shop? Grading may be the number one solution to your problems.

I'm not a fan of floating slabs as they're alot of cement and gravel (money) for what you get. Also makes it more difficult to raise grade to stay dry. That being said it would probably be fine and cheapest for you, plus you've got tons of good advise here already.

If I was doing it I would dig to firm soil as shallow as I could, pour a concrete wall on a footing and raise grade. Without seeing your lot I couldn't tell ya if this would work.

Also clear gravel would be the best choice for under the pad. It only takes a light tamping (same as sand) to be ready for cement compared to crusher run. Best part is, it keeps your concrete floor from sweating on those hot humid days.

Good luck with your shop build!

[iamtooler]

What type of foundation does your house have, how far from the proposed garage is it and is your house foundation having problems?

Could you post a picture of the area you would like to put the shop? Grading may be the number one solution to your problems.

I'm not a fan of floating slabs as they're alot of cement and gravel (money) for what you get. Also makes it more difficult to raise grade to stay dry. That being said it would probably be fine and cheapest for you, plus you've got tons of good advise here already.

If I was doing it I would dig to firm soil as shallow as I could, pour a concrete wall on a footing and raise grade. Without seeing your lot I couldn't tell ya if this would work.

Also clear gravel would be the best choice for under the pad. It only takes a light tamping (same as sand) to be ready for cement compared to crusher run. Best part is, it keeps your concrete floor from sweating on those hot humid days.

Good luck with your shop build!

What does clear gravel mean in your area, and crusher run? We used to use ''pit run'' sand with stones because it was cheap but in the last thirty years new buildings get raised much higher above grade and crushed stone is the only way to go, it will not wash out from under.
Rob

[John Bartley]

The OP hasn't visited for a couple of days. I hope we haven't scared him away.

There's been some good discussion about what sort of heaving he's getting ... frost, hydraulic, hydrostatic (not looking for an argument about which is which) and possible solutions, but none of us know anything about his lot, where it's located, his proximity to neighbours, available paths for drainage for for routing sump water or weeper piping if he is lucky enough to be able to drain by gravity. I still think it would help to know these things.

[Rusty]

The OP hasn't visited for a couple of days. I hope we haven't scared him away.

There's been some good discussion about what sort of heaving he's getting ... frost, hydraulic, hydrostatic (not looking for an argument about which is which) and possible solutions, but none of us know anything about his lot, where it's located, his proximity to neighbours, available paths for drainage for for routing sump water or weeper piping if he is lucky enough to be able to drain by gravity. I still think it would help to know these things.

All of those things are extremely important to know. it's also important to understand the construction process which should start with a solid foundation and the reality is you can build anywhere but you may have to prepare to spend a bunch of loot to make an inappropriate site useable. The obvious further reality is you may not want to spend that much money and that's when compromise takes over and quite often the results are less than terrific.

Good luck to the OP with those decisions.

[Beaverfever1988]

What does clear gravel mean in your area, and crusher run? We used to use ''pit run'' sand with stones because it was cheap but in the last thirty years new buildings get raised much higher above grade and crushed stone is the only way to go, it will not wash out from under.
Rob

Clear gravel is washed stone that is all the same size. It is the stone they used for your weeping tiles. Here's a picture of 3/4 clear.


crusher run is stone that is crushed to a size. The designated size is of the largest stones, but contains smaller stones right down to dust. This is 3/4 crusher run.

Here pit run is like you said, sand and gravel. It's literally just something they run into while digging in the pit. Materials from quarries varies alot depending where it came from, and what type of rock is there.

[iamtooler]

I would call your gravel crushed stone. Natural small stones (river rock?) has rounded surface so it does not compact well.
Rob