ᐅ Is it common practice not to fill up to the top edge (e.g., the finished floor level)?
Created on: 9 Jun 2020 21:38
L
Lucrezia
Hello everyone!
Our house is built, and everything went quickly and smoothly.
We are building without a basement, and insulation will be added to the sides of the slab foundation.
To install the insulation, the concrete frost protection strip needs to be exposed: unfortunately, the earthworks contractor has filled everything up to the top edge.
According to the general contractor (GC), we have to dig out the strip because it is usually not supposed to be covered. We have already tried with a shovel and a demolition hammer, but it’s almost impossible (the scaffolding will stay for weeks, but this work needs to be done now).
Now we are wondering: Is it common practice not to fill up to the top edge?
Or should the GC have clearly instructed the earthworks contractor?
How did it go for you with this?
Our house is built, and everything went quickly and smoothly.
We are building without a basement, and insulation will be added to the sides of the slab foundation.
To install the insulation, the concrete frost protection strip needs to be exposed: unfortunately, the earthworks contractor has filled everything up to the top edge.
According to the general contractor (GC), we have to dig out the strip because it is usually not supposed to be covered. We have already tried with a shovel and a demolition hammer, but it’s almost impossible (the scaffolding will stay for weeks, but this work needs to be done now).
Now we are wondering: Is it common practice not to fill up to the top edge?
Or should the GC have clearly instructed the earthworks contractor?
How did it go for you with this?
Without basement
The soil was not filled up to the top edge of the floor slab.
We contracted the earthworks ourselves, but the general contractor site manager took over the site supervision here.
As a layperson, it seems to me that filling the soil up to the top edge does not make much sense. Plastering, splash protection, insulation
The soil was not filled up to the top edge of the floor slab.
We contracted the earthworks ourselves, but the general contractor site manager took over the site supervision here.
As a layperson, it seems to me that filling the soil up to the top edge does not make much sense. Plastering, splash protection, insulation
I would like to add something for those who might be in a similar situation:
After discussing the issue again with our site manager and a friend who is an architect, we informed the earthworks contractor that the work had not been done properly. Leaving a "trench" around the house perimeter is actually standard practice.
We document every construction day with photos and videos, so we were able to show him exactly when his team backfilled everything.
The earthworks contractor admitted the mistake and is now in the process of fixing it. Documenting and addressing issues has become our mantra.
After discussing the issue again with our site manager and a friend who is an architect, we informed the earthworks contractor that the work had not been done properly. Leaving a "trench" around the house perimeter is actually standard practice.
We document every construction day with photos and videos, so we were able to show him exactly when his team backfilled everything.
The earthworks contractor admitted the mistake and is now in the process of fixing it. Documenting and addressing issues has become our mantra.
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