I have a large deck project ahead of me…25 piers in all. I will be using 24″ bigfoots for footers and sono tubes for pier forms. I plan on wrapping the tubes with a few layers of 6 mil PE to reduce frost adhesion. What I am wondering is, should I also backfill the piers with gravel? I live in Vermont (cold winters) and the soils are wetter than normal. I plan on the piers being 5′ deep.
Any opinions about the necessity of gravel or suggestions/advice about putting in piers would be appreciated.<!—-> <!—->
Thanks.
Replies
Greetings green,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again.
Perhaps it will catch someones attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
I think, not positive that because you are using a bigfoot footing form that frost heaving would not be a problem. I haven't used the bigfoot ,looks like a good product.You could leave the waxed sonotube on if they don't show. If you are going to strip the sonotube, make sure when you place them, the writing is up. Then when you strip them they will peel downward. Many years ago I told another carpenter that he was installing sonotubes upside down. He got real snotty with me, what he did not know that I was going to be his foreman in a couple of days. These sonotubes were 14'-0" high, surrounded by deck scaffolding, guess who stripped them. I laughed at him trying to peel the sonotube from the bottom. He quit at lunch time.
mike