Hi,
I have a garage that I have torn down because the walls were infested with termites since the slab basically sits at grade one one side and if we get a good rain water comes in under the plate.
I would like to add a course of block around the perimeter of the slab and then frame on top.
How should I attach the block to the slab?
Can I just extend the sill bolts through the block and bolt down the new sill? Or do I need to use some other sort of anchoring system for the block.
Thanks,
F.
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Replies
Your location would help nail down what might be required in your area.
We normally form and pour a short wall along with the garage slab but in your case, especially if you anticipate the AHJ would require tying the whole structure to the footing, I would lay up a course of lintel block with one cont. #5 rebar and pour that solid.
Also, drill and epoxy a short length of allthread 4' o.c. and both sides of each door, window and corner long enough to project above the plate on the block - before you lay the block.
Coupling nuts to another length of allthread through the top plate to a 3" washer and nut and H-2.5's on all rafters or trusses.
That will hold everything down.
I would epoxy rebar instead of all thread and then fill the cell with concrete, with some anchor bolts in the block for the building sill plate
We normally form and pour a short wall along with the garage slab
Ralph, Are you saying that you pour the short wall at the same time you are pouring the floor??
If so, what is your method for doing that?
Forms are raised to height desired then a low slump is poured for the footing and the curb.
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By the time the flat work is ready to be poured the inside form boards can be removed, a line is snapped and the garage floor pour is completed.
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The reason for the curb is to make the framing easier because the garage floor is sloped to the door. If no curb was poured then the framing would have to be custom cut to accomodate the slope.
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With attached garages your garage floor must be lower than the house slab so the curb is poured level with the house slab and the garage is poured last, lower and sloped.View Image
Edited 9/20/2008 4:45 pm ET by RalphWicklund
That is a very nice job!! ... and a real good way to do it. I have tried that a couple of different ways, but I think your method is better.
Approximately what is the time span from the time you finish pouring the footer and short walls until you strip the forms and start pouring the floor?
Nice pics Ralph.
If you combine Ralph and 'Bagg's approach you pretty much have it.
Drill into the slab, set rebar in epoxy, let the rebar stick up into the block cells. How many bars depends upon application and location (wind, seismic, wall height).
Then use a course of lintel block with a horizontal bar, as previously recommended. And of course anchor bolts.
The all-thread and coupling nuts at the doors are to go up into the framing, perhaps to the top plate, again depending upon where you are and what you are doing.
This way the block is part of the foundation and the framing can be secured to it.
If you do not pin the block to the existing foundation you have no reliable moment or shear connection.
I attach block to a slab with mortar.
All these other guys have said how to anchor the sill plate down through the bock.
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Floss
If you want a simple garage that you can easily build yourself why not consider ICF's
termits can't eat them so you won't have to put all that poisen around. they are extremely easy to set up, weigh about 2 pounds each and a garage could be readied in less than a day of relatively light easy work.. Call monday and pour the forms and you will probably only be an hour or so late for work! Then all you need to do is put the roof on..
It depends on your location.
In MI, we would lay a 4" course on top of the footing with a simpson strap imbedded in the mortar and coming up through the block at the joints. This strap wraps around the plate.
There is no anchors necessary between the footing and the blockwork.
That arrangement won't work here in Austin.
Jim, was reading your post and reminded me of a BI in a town near hear, that requires us with simpson straps to drill a hole in the plate, insert straps and then wrap the plate. Give a little power to some people.....
Simpson offers two ways for their strap installation. If the masons spread the strap , then mud it, then the straps wraps around the plate. If they stick the strap straight up, then the hole has to be drilled. It's a detail you can find on the Simpson website.
Found it. The normal way has been to wrap it around the plate. To me. it is a time saver to do this way. If you have to drill, I would rather have bolts.
The key is to get the masons or concrete guy to spread them when installing them. That can only be accomplished with a signed proposal that costs them in the pocketbook if they don't spread them.
If i was to hire a mason to lay block couple feet high, why not just continue to eve height so less worrys about termites.just paint the inside less worry about drywall. fill with concrete, less worry about hurricanes. Not that much more money.
brownbagg
Look at ICF's rather than hiring masons for that work..
They are really simple and easy to do. Big foam leggos, A garage could be built in a day and poured in less than an hour on monday morning.
Honestly my sister -n-law with absolutely no construction expirance at all did the foundation of my addition in about five hours. 20 minutes of that was a drug slurred instruction from me as I laid doped out in bed. 60 feet of wall 9 feet high
Most people like to have a pretty exterior, not block!
frammer52
If you want you can pretty block up with Brick or stucco or using tap cons put in firring strips and put clapboards or other siding on (same with ICF's)
Fire proof and 200 MPH wind resistance (with ICF's) is pretty nice where termites eat a lot of wood.
only thing and I mean only thing I have against ICF is the price of the ICF block and that you can't buy local.Edited 9/20/2008 1:45 pm by brownbagg
Edited 9/20/2008 1:46 pm by brownbagg
brownbagg
Could you elaborate please? Do you mean the price of cinder blocks locally or do you mean the price of forms locally?
I've a solution if it's the latter..
You gotta move to Alabama then.
Then most people would have block.
But, cereally, there are nice coatings that cover block, stucco comes to mind.
If you're concerned about a solid connection between the block and the slab consider this alternative. Determine the height of the foundation you want, 4,6,8, 10 inch etc. Use the appropriate size 2 by's to form the foundation on top of your slab. In addition to your existing anchor bolts you can strenthen and tie it altogether by laying in some horozontal rebar. Place new anchor bolts in the concrete and remove the forms. Use the form wood as is for construction on the new garage or rip it to whatever size you need, this way you have a one piece solid foundation to build on and you waste no form material.
If you're only interested in a base for the building to rest on, mortar and block.
Thank you all for the suggestions.I live in central VA so it's not too cold, no seismic activity however we do get quite a bit of wind where we are. I live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mtns. just north of Charlottesville.I was only planning on building up the one side that is at grade. The rest of the slab is about 6" - 10" above grade. I will frame the rest of the walls with wood and a P.T. plate.I'm thinking of using 8" block and then filling with concrete. I will use the rebar and then extend the plate anchors with all thread.Should I still run allthread from the slab to the top plate at the door opening? I have 2'9" of wall on either side of the door.Thanks againF.