Hello everyone, I would like to introduce myself before asking my first question.
My name is Athuro, and I live with my wife and our children in Hamburg. We are about to start building our single-family house (without a basement) in the Bauhaus style and face an important decision.
Two days ago, we had an appointment with the surveyor and our general contractor’s site manager. They defined the finished floor height (top edge of the finished floor) relative to the center of the street. The street slopes slightly, so at the higher end we would be 20 cm (8 inches) above street level, and at the lower end about 38 cm (15 inches) above the street, both referring to the top edge of the finished floor. The garage at the lower end would be slightly lower than the house because it is subject to a height restriction of 2.75 m (9 feet) due to the boundary line. My question is: Is 20 cm (8 inches) enough height for the house?
It would be preferable, as the plot also slopes downward to the back, and otherwise we would have problems with the garden landscaping. But the most important thing for me is a permanently dry house (foundation). If I understood the site manager correctly, the floor/foundation will be constructed roughly as follows: floor - 17 cm (7 inches) screed - 20 cm (8 inches) base slab - 10 cm (4 inches) insulation - approximately 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 inches) of sand. The thickness of the base slab might be increased slightly, as the structural engineer is still waiting for a second soil report.
I hope I was able to explain myself clearly enough and look forward to any ideas you might have.
Good luck and happy Easter!
Athuro
My name is Athuro, and I live with my wife and our children in Hamburg. We are about to start building our single-family house (without a basement) in the Bauhaus style and face an important decision.
Two days ago, we had an appointment with the surveyor and our general contractor’s site manager. They defined the finished floor height (top edge of the finished floor) relative to the center of the street. The street slopes slightly, so at the higher end we would be 20 cm (8 inches) above street level, and at the lower end about 38 cm (15 inches) above the street, both referring to the top edge of the finished floor. The garage at the lower end would be slightly lower than the house because it is subject to a height restriction of 2.75 m (9 feet) due to the boundary line. My question is: Is 20 cm (8 inches) enough height for the house?
It would be preferable, as the plot also slopes downward to the back, and otherwise we would have problems with the garden landscaping. But the most important thing for me is a permanently dry house (foundation). If I understood the site manager correctly, the floor/foundation will be constructed roughly as follows: floor - 17 cm (7 inches) screed - 20 cm (8 inches) base slab - 10 cm (4 inches) insulation - approximately 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 inches) of sand. The thickness of the base slab might be increased slightly, as the structural engineer is still waiting for a second soil report.
I hope I was able to explain myself clearly enough and look forward to any ideas you might have.
Good luck and happy Easter!
Athuro
N
nordanney19 Apr 2014 20:55It’s the same for us; the top edge of our finished floor is also only 20cm (8 inches) above street level. Everything is properly sealed and has been working smoothly so far.
B
Bauexperte20 Apr 2014 11:49Hello Athuro,
Regards, Bauexperte
athuro schrieb:Why 20 cm (8 inches)? Is that already an average value or does it still need to be calculated from both heights? Then the house would stand about 29 cm (11 inches) "high" in the middle, and less at both the higher and lower ends. And why is this average determined on the site and not during the construction planning meeting before work starts?
Two days ago, we had a meeting with the surveyor and our general contractor’s site manager. The finished floor level (top of the finished floor) was defined in relation to the center of the street. The street slopes slightly, so at the higher end we would be 20 cm (8 inches) above the street level, and at the lower end about 38 cm (15 inches) above the street, both measured at the top of the finished floor. The garage at the lower end would be built slightly lower than the house because, due to boundary building regulations, it cannot be taller than 2.75 m (9 feet). My question is: Is 20 cm (8 inches) sufficient for the house?
athuro schrieb:20 cm (8 inches) roughly equals one step; that should be enough to direct water away from the house and past the foundation slab.
It would be nice because the plot also slopes down towards the back, and otherwise we would have problems with the garden landscaping, but the most important thing for me is a permanently dry house (foundation).
athuro schrieb:The site manager probably mentioned gravel or crushed stone; sand would be a poor choice because it is not load-bearing. Why is there a second geotechnical report expected?
If I understood the site manager correctly, the floor/foundation will probably be built as follows: floor - 17 cm (7 inches) screed - 20 cm (8 inches) foundation slab - 10 cm (4 inches) insulation - approximately 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 inches) sand. The thickness of the slab might be increased slightly since the structural engineer is waiting for a second geotechnical report.
Regards, Bauexperte
@nordanney: Thank you very much for the quick response!
@ Building expert: The angle brackets are now all set at the top edge of the finished floor, 20 cm (8 inches) above street level, measured from the highest point of the street. If I understand correctly, as you described, the top edge of the finished floor is 38 cm (15 inches) above the street at the lower end of the house and 29 cm (11 inches) in the middle.
On-site appointment, because we wanted to assess the entire site since we want a lowered living area at the back.
Now you’re making me a bit worried: I’m quite confident about using sand, but I also read something about a fine grading layer from the earthworks contractor! Can that work well if properly compacted?
Unfortunately, I realized too late that a dimpled membrane is planned as the cleanliness layer! Is that compatible with the insulation? Or is it better to accept the extra costs for concrete?
2. Soil report because the first one was done before demolition, and now more points should be measured, but this is included in the price, so no price gouging!
Thanks a lot for your effort, best regards from the north
@ Building expert: The angle brackets are now all set at the top edge of the finished floor, 20 cm (8 inches) above street level, measured from the highest point of the street. If I understand correctly, as you described, the top edge of the finished floor is 38 cm (15 inches) above the street at the lower end of the house and 29 cm (11 inches) in the middle.
On-site appointment, because we wanted to assess the entire site since we want a lowered living area at the back.
Now you’re making me a bit worried: I’m quite confident about using sand, but I also read something about a fine grading layer from the earthworks contractor! Can that work well if properly compacted?
Unfortunately, I realized too late that a dimpled membrane is planned as the cleanliness layer! Is that compatible with the insulation? Or is it better to accept the extra costs for concrete?
2. Soil report because the first one was done before demolition, and now more points should be measured, but this is included in the price, so no price gouging!
Thanks a lot for your effort, best regards from the north
Similar topics