Pompei Oven Base in Winterland - Floating Design

[tdibratt]

Hi I have been searching the forum for ideas on building the right floating pad for my oven. I live in Toronto so I have to contend with winter and frost.

Most suggest either putting in a footing and wall down at frost level and then pouring the slab on the wall or a simple 5" concrete slab.

When I did my garage pad a few years back the building inspectors wanted the outside perimiter to be 12 inches thick and then taper up to 5 inches for the slab itself. So I essentially end up with a 5 inch slab and a 12 inch perimiter depth. I built my last oven pad that way but it was on beach sand so I was not concerned.

Here in the city I have clay and not to good drainage.

I was thinking I would use the same design with the 12 inch footing design built into the slab. I was going to dig down, say 12 inches. Put 4 inches of gravel in the pit and then add an additional 7 inches of gravel on the original 4 inches keep the gravel 12 inches in from the perimeter. Then put to rows of rebar around the perimiter and tying that into a rebar grid within the slab section. Pour concrete.

Does anyone see any issues with this design? I figure if there is any heaving it will have to heave the entire slab and oven structure.

Thx

[jengineer]

shoot an email to canuckjim. he is in the neighbourhood - Prince Albert