Hello everyone,
I am not only new to this forum but also quite new to building, and I would like to start with the following question:
I want to build a garage that is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide, 6.5 meters (21 feet) long, and 3 meters (9.8 feet) high, including a gable roof.
I have been searching online for weeks and asking various people about the required foundation, but I am not getting a clear answer. Should I use a strip foundation or just a slab foundation? I often hear that a strip foundation is cheaper because the slab requires less reinforcement (steel) and can be thinner.
I don’t understand this advantage of the strip foundation, since the concrete saved on the slab would be needed in much larger quantities for the strip foundations.
Does a strip foundation offer better frost protection, or is it more load-bearing? So my clear question is: What is the advantage of a strip foundation compared to a slab foundation? Or is the slab foundation the better choice?
I am grateful for any clarifying tips.
Best regards,
Duke
I am not only new to this forum but also quite new to building, and I would like to start with the following question:
I want to build a garage that is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide, 6.5 meters (21 feet) long, and 3 meters (9.8 feet) high, including a gable roof.
I have been searching online for weeks and asking various people about the required foundation, but I am not getting a clear answer. Should I use a strip foundation or just a slab foundation? I often hear that a strip foundation is cheaper because the slab requires less reinforcement (steel) and can be thinner.
I don’t understand this advantage of the strip foundation, since the concrete saved on the slab would be needed in much larger quantities for the strip foundations.
Does a strip foundation offer better frost protection, or is it more load-bearing? So my clear question is: What is the advantage of a strip foundation compared to a slab foundation? Or is the slab foundation the better choice?
I am grateful for any clarifying tips.
Best regards,
Duke
blockhauspower26 Apr 2013 08:47Hello,
When strip foundations are used, in our region a depth of 80 cm (31.5 inches) is considered frost-free, meaning the ground below this depth will no longer freeze. The problem arises if a frost bubble forms under a building, which expands as water freezes and pushes the structure upward. This can be prevented in two ways: first, by placing the building on soil that does not freeze, i.e., at a depth of 80 cm (31.5 inches), or second, by installing a so-called capillary-breaking layer, usually gravel made of natural stones. This layer prevents water from rising to the building, freezing, and causing upward pressure.
So, to reliably prevent your building from being pushed up, I would recommend using a strip foundation. It can be excavated with a mini excavator in about two hours and poured together with the reinforced concrete slab. The additional cost for the concrete is minimal since the concrete truck will be there anyway.
I hope this information is helpful.
Regards
When strip foundations are used, in our region a depth of 80 cm (31.5 inches) is considered frost-free, meaning the ground below this depth will no longer freeze. The problem arises if a frost bubble forms under a building, which expands as water freezes and pushes the structure upward. This can be prevented in two ways: first, by placing the building on soil that does not freeze, i.e., at a depth of 80 cm (31.5 inches), or second, by installing a so-called capillary-breaking layer, usually gravel made of natural stones. This layer prevents water from rising to the building, freezing, and causing upward pressure.
So, to reliably prevent your building from being pushed up, I would recommend using a strip foundation. It can be excavated with a mini excavator in about two hours and poured together with the reinforced concrete slab. The additional cost for the concrete is minimal since the concrete truck will be there anyway.
I hope this information is helpful.
Regards
Hello Blockhauspower,
yes, it’s slowly becoming clear to me. Thank you very much. I will follow your suggestion. Since in our area there is always a minimum quantity surcharge for ready-mix concrete and I also have to rent an expensive additional pump due to the distance, it makes sense to construct the strip foundation and the slab together. And I have two questions regarding this:
1) Is the slab poured directly over the strip foundation (creating a connection between the slab and the strip foundation), or only up to the edge of the strip foundation (with the slab placed inside)?
2) The approximately 15cm (6 inches) thick capillary-breaking gravel layer is compacted with a plate compactor. Will the gravel layer (graded gravel, 0-45mm) hold if about 15cm (6 inches) of concrete is poured on top, or could the gravel layer break out to the sides at the same level into the strip foundations?
Thanks in advance
Regards, Duke
yes, it’s slowly becoming clear to me. Thank you very much. I will follow your suggestion. Since in our area there is always a minimum quantity surcharge for ready-mix concrete and I also have to rent an expensive additional pump due to the distance, it makes sense to construct the strip foundation and the slab together. And I have two questions regarding this:
1) Is the slab poured directly over the strip foundation (creating a connection between the slab and the strip foundation), or only up to the edge of the strip foundation (with the slab placed inside)?
2) The approximately 15cm (6 inches) thick capillary-breaking gravel layer is compacted with a plate compactor. Will the gravel layer (graded gravel, 0-45mm) hold if about 15cm (6 inches) of concrete is poured on top, or could the gravel layer break out to the sides at the same level into the strip foundations?
Thanks in advance
Regards, Duke
hello
what forces act on the foundation
if the slab is not connected to the foundation
(slab lies inside) with Styrofoam all around
(ground is sand)
6 x 4 m (20 x 13 ft) 10 cm (4 inches) thick
possibly with an expansion joint in the middle and minimal
reinforcement
regards
Fenster
or only up to the edge of the strip foundation (slab lies inside)?
what forces act on the foundation
if the slab is not connected to the foundation
(slab lies inside) with Styrofoam all around
(ground is sand)
6 x 4 m (20 x 13 ft) 10 cm (4 inches) thick
possibly with an expansion joint in the middle and minimal
reinforcement
regards
Fenster
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