Footers no footers

[KraemerBAC]

Hello all,

Just getting started and though I would ask around the forum for advice. I can't seenm to get any consistant answers from the people I do know. I live in southern Wisconsin and am getting ready to pour my slab. The question of the day is can I pour the slab thick and let it "float" like a driveway or do I need to sink footers.. Any advice is most certainly welcome. I look forward to getting started.

Peter

[Neil2]

"is can pour the slab thick and let it "float" like a driveway"

Yes.

Provided the sub base material is relatively uniform.

Something like 5 inches thick and reinforced well so that it can bridge settlement and ride out frost heaving with out cracking.

[blacknoir]

Agreed, if it's not attached to anything.

[wronguy]

I would like to know this as well, I live in Ontario and we have a frost line of 3-4 ft. I was planning on doing footers, but obviously I don't want to because of the extra digging, I would rather put it on 6inch gravel and than 1ft of concrete. This would be of great help. Thanks

[KraemerBAC]

Thanks for the guidance, I had planned on a good base of crushed paving base and/or gravel and sand followed by a minimum of 10-12 inches of reinforced concrete. It will not be attatched to anything..

[timo]

I am a bit south of you in Illinois and just got done with my foundation. The one thing I've learned is you need excellent drainage. Keeping the water level low and having the gravel dry is really going to help keep the heaving down.

I ran 4" drain tile around the perimeter of my foundation and ran it away to my neighbor's yard (That's a joke, I didn't really). I think drainage issues need to be elevated in oven foundation planning.

[KraemerBAC]

Timo,

Thanks for the suggestions.. Drainage may be a problem but at least there is a pretty easy fix. I say may because I live on a bluff so while the spot in my yard is a little low overall the yard is "high".

By the way, how far south. A visit may be in order

Peter

[dbhansen]

As someone with a deep, hand-dug foundation, I highly recommend a floating slab!

[JeffAdams]

Journeyman, why after the work of the foundation do you recommend slab? Is it the labor or does it function better?

[dbhansen]

Originally Posted by JeffAdams

Journeyman, why after the work of the foundation do you recommend slab? Is it the labor or does it function better?

The labor. A deep foundation is presumably more stable than a slab, but I'm not sure that the labor is worth it if you're hand-digging, at least in the northern part of the country.

Daren