Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Re: porch/deck footings

21 October 2014

Re: [DIY] Re: porch/deck footings

Personal experience with county codes:

If the deck is attached to home and not free-standing it is required in our county that the footings be excavated to 1' by 1' by 1' with support 4x4 posts resting on a small paver (or 4x6- depending on height and weight)

These excavations have to be empty of concrete with the bags present when inspected by county inspector. The consistency of the dirt is taken into consideration.

If the deck is free-standing, one level, and not attached to main structure- depending on height, we can get by with those composite concrete post-supports bought from your local box store.

Our county has become very deck conscious since there have been many deck failings involving parties where they have collapsed, injuring the party goers.

We had our deck rejected the first time inspected and had to make a few amendments before passing code.

carmen

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On Oct 21, 2014, at 7:54 AM, grubemed@yahoo.com [DoIt_Yourself] wrote:

Hi Michael,

The important factors in determining your footing requirements are:

What type of soil will the footing be resting on?
What is the anticipated weight load on each footing? (building materials + Snow + furnishings + occupants =?)
How deep is the frost line in your area?

Personally, I like to keep the spans on my rim joists short, so I would go with more footings rather than fewer.

You mention that you are planning to hire out the footings. If I was going to pay someone to bring in equipment, I would probably look at having them dig a trench and pour a continuous footing rather than dig holes & use tubes. The cost would likely be about the same, judging by my own experiences in that direction. The advantage of using tubes is that you can easily dig "postholes" yourself & fill them with concrete that you mix in small batches. Thus, the project can advance "one hole at a time" with very little disruption to living.

The big advantages of a continuous poured footing are that the weight is supported over a much larger area and that you can locate your support piers anywhere you like along the footing. This allows easy adjustments to suit any changes you may make while building.

Just a thought.

John Grube

---In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, <mbaldwin577@...> wrote :

Hi,
I am replacing my collapsing front porch. I am making it bigger and adding on a deck. I have no building department to ask my questions to. The only approval I needed from the town was for zoning to make sure I am not too close to a sidewalk. Please do not answer my questions with "go ask your building inspector".

I am trying to figure out how many peers and footings I need. I am probably going to use the Sonna tubes.

Foot print will be 12 by 30 with a 18 long 6 wide extension around to the side door.
12x18 of it will be walled, roofed and insulated, to act as kind of a mud room. Leaves 12x12 deck and the little wrap around part.

One side of course is going to be anchored to the house. I will pay to have the footings done, and doing the rest myself, so I'd rather spend a little more on larger lumber instead of more on labor for additional footings.

If I go with 2x10 12 foot long, would I have enough footings parallel to the house if I put them every 10 foot. This would give me 4 posts.
Other thoughts were also 5 footings, spaced every 7.5 foot, and 6 footings, spaced every 6 foot.

I do not mind over building, but I don't' want to way over do it either.
Joists would be 2x10 12 foot 16 on center. Doubled up rim joists, and doubled up where it will switch from mud room to deck.
thoughts?

Michael