Dug my footer too deep, can I backfill?
JoshRountree
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I had an engineer look at my house before I bought it and he said I needed to replace some posts that the previous owner had removed. He spec’d a 24″x24″x8″ footer for the new posts. I dug about 11″ deep instead of 8″. I want to backfill with something so the height of the new footer matches some existing concrete and it will look right when I pour a floor down there. Can I backfill with some of the dirt I removed and tamp it down real well? Or do I need to pour a deeper footer so it’s on undistrubed soil?
Replies
Why would anyone see the bottom of the footer. Make it 3" thicker. Or put down 3" of compacted gravel
Just pour 3" more concrete. Or fill with compacted gravel. Regular soil won't compact enough unless you use a power compactor.
Like McMark said - more concrete there or backfill with tamped crushed stone -- no rounded gravels like pea gravel or 3/4" river stone (no interlocking action between pieces).
I wouldn't use the dirt.
A little extra concrete is the easiest.
Jim
you can ,and soil is just as good, but concrete is cheap compare to couple days backfilling. just fill with concrete and keep going, it be stronger than 8"
yep, what bb said.
I'm not even that cheap to try to save $4 worth of concrete with a ;half hour xtra work. <G>
You wouldn't backfill with junk?(I was once told that the runways at the Thule Greenland airbase are built on fill consisting of old electronic equipment.)
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
What kind of gravel should I ask for when I go by the quarry?
Clean 1"limestone,,,,,and compact into the footer bottom.If it were mine i would buy the extra crete. ........Iron Helix
when I go by the quarry
I gotta hand it to yas Josh, did not think there was anybody cheaper than me signing into BT, but you got me beat! <G>
BTW, economically would not use 'junk', still get a nickel a pound, a compressed chunk of 24" by 24" by 3" scrap would still weigh about 100#, so that would be worth more than the concrete <G>