I am not in the business, know about you guys from hanging around knots, so please bear with me.
I am in the very early stages of planning/building a new home (first time). Bought a set of plans that came with a crawlspace basement and need to have them modified to a full basement.
So. 2 questions
1. Do I need to hire an Architect or will an engineer be able to do it.
2. Does roughly 250 LF of foundation wall seem like a lot for a 3250 SF Home (not including basement)
One more
Are foundations priced out based on Linear feet and height? And what would you expect to pay in the Hudson River Valley of NY for 250LF @ 9′
Replies
I came up with a base 230LF... 250' sounds about right if you have exterior window / stair wells or knee walls..
Can't help you with your pricing... Your local authorities make the call on 1st question...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I just had my foundation poured last week. I'm in the same situation you are, first build. The foundation was priced by the yard. To give you a rough idea I paid $68 a yard for the concrete, and $60 a yard for the labor. I had 2' walls, 9' walls will cost more for labor and supplies.
your foundation sub will probably ask you where you want to get your concrete from. Start calling around, I had quotes from $68 to $83 per yd. Talk to your foundation guy to see if he's got any connections. You will also have additional cost for the pump truck and hardware and any steps thatare in your walls.
As to arch or engineer, I had a designer redraw my plans then they went to an engineer. The designer was much cheaper than an archy. Have you had the plans you purchased approved yet?? you'll probably have to have them redone to your local codes. If you can find a designer to do that for you he can spec the basement and forward it to his engineer, and you'll get back stamped copies ready for the county/city.
by the way, I'm in the Seattle area so the prices will probably be very different. Good luck, so far it's been a real learning process.
Didn't mean to scare you since you had to work up a nerve. Don't sweat it. Tjhis is a fine place. You were reporting what you did. probaly regional diference is all.
I'm on an island so logistics are harder to pull off. Try lining up a concrete pumper, three loads of crete, the crew, the ferry reservations, and the weather all at one time.
our cost for placed crete is in the neighborhood of $250 to $300 depending on shape of pour, terrain, and misc other factors
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>>Do I need to hire an Architect or will an engineer be able to do it.
Engineer should be able........ask the Building Dept. what they want.
>>Does roughly 250 LF of foundation wall seem like a lot for a 3250 SF Home (not including basement)
3250 all on one floor?? This is simple math if you are dealing with a rectangle.......or just add up the outside wall dimensions. Don't forget to loosely subtract for the garage door openings. A 3250sft house on two floors is gonna have 150 lft of foundation, 3250sft on one level could end up around 250lft. (+-)
A block foundation is based on the number of block, a poured foundation is based on cu yards of concrete. Not sure of prices on either right now.
Where are you building, I am in Putnam County.
Eric
Every once in a while, something goes right!
Looking at some property in Garrison. Are you in the construction business?
Yes CK, I am in the business........Residential Construction, Remodeling and Repair.
A few years ago I could have built the whole house for you, I'm just not geared up that way anymore. Kinda geared down if you know what I mean.
I'd be glad to help you any way I can (as a fellow BT'r) with advice or direction.
I'd also be glad to talk to you regarding any of the interior work you might be interested in having done.
Email me from here and I will shoot you back with my particulars.
EricEvery once in a while, something goes right!
First thing on the plans The most common thing in the building world is for a HO to purchase their plans from a plan book and finsd that it is unbuildable as drawn for obne or more of a number of reasons such as;
The trusses will not be able to seat the way it shows in elevations
The local building codes enforcement officer will not accept the plans until stamped by a locally licensed architect and or engineer
The plans do not fit the site
The plans are drawn with details that cover a different climate
_____fill in the blank.
So the very first thing to do is hightail it down to your local building department to see what they will require for a permit. No sense spending money two or three times when a little advance knowledge andf planning will avoid frustratiion and delays.
Someone mentioned buyuing or4 pricing out concete. No self respecting concrtete sub here will let you buy your own separately and I can't think why you would want them to. If they don't control the whole operation and ordering process, they cannot offer any kind of saisfaction gaurantee and the whole schedule can be screwed uop from day one.
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
"No self respecting concrtete sub here will let you buy your own separately..."
I was thinking the same thing. Never heard of a concrete sub letting anyone else buy the concrete.Q: What's the difference between a golf ball and a "g-spot"?A: Men will spend 30 minutes looking for a golf ball.
Q: What's the difference between a golf ball and a "g-spot"?A: Men will spend 30 minutes looking for a golf ball.
No real golfer will look for their lost ball for 30 minutes without letting others "play through".
Now do you find any similarities between the two you mentioned above?
Hope not.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Now how did that come to find it's way into a discussion of rock hard concrete of a certain size foundation? LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
but then...........I digress.
how the heck do I know? I'm a nonchurchgoing, hippiewithanfbifile, democratorworselover, and a dumbcarpenter to boot!Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
lessnot bring the FBI into this.
my file's bigger'n your file, so it can fiorce yours right to the back of the filing cabinet!
Tee hee.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
By all means.
A couple weeks ago, GW was a qtr mi. STRAIGHT out my back door, through the woods and across the river. No men in suits thought it worth the walk to come down my drive. I was miffed to say the least. Me thinks I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the drawer. Go figger.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
sure, I get up enough nerve to post and I'm left wondering if I've screwed up my foundation?? Maybe it's a regional thing. I was under the impression the foundation sub would select the concrete supply also, then he asked who I wanted to use. I got a recomendation for the 3 suppliers he has the best luck with, I called 6. the prices varied by $14 a yard.
I took the cheapest because they also happened to be one of the ones recommended by the sub and the builder of the lots next to mine. One phone call got me the quote and a cod account set up. Told the sub to use x supplier, gave him two checks, he scheduled delivery.
Must be regional I guess? But, like I said, this is my first build and I'm learning alot as I go
Come back here while you're in the planning stage and ask some questions. There's alot of talent here eager to give their opinion. Get a little more ammo b/4 you make decisions and you'll find yourself more right than wrong. Best of luck on the build.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
maybe regiomnal, but get this - my crete guy buys enough that he can make the yard pull through for him in rough times or bad weather or special mixes. You - a one timer - they would laugh at. Suppose they have a bridge job going on requireing most of their trucks, they gonna spare you a load or two this week>? not on your life. I call and they tell me when they can get it here. my crete guy calls and he tells them when they will get it here.
So see how much more smoothly things go?
Suppose the crete crew needs to have the mix adjusted for the weather? They call you and you call the yard. Then the yard asks you another Q like how much plasticizer? What you gonna do? You call the crete guy back, but by then he is already in truck on the way there.
Or the creete truck breaks down. You wanna pay that crew for watching the pavement dry? suppose you are supposed to have 3500# crete and you misunderstand and order 2500# crete. Whose fault or liability????
It is so easy to just hand over the plans and say "Within a quarter inch of level and a half inch of square - check ready by tuesday if you are done then".
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When I built my house I wrote a check to the form guy and a check for the crete supplier. Form guy wanted it that way. No problem.
A different guy for the flat work, same thing. No problem.
I wondered if it was a cash flow issue. Maybe it makes things easier for them, all they have to supply is labor.
I don't want to hijack this thread but I am going to pop a quick question in anyway.... I have heard nightmare stories about out of square/level foundations, I know you can avoid this by going with a quality, well know foundation contractor but some times they can make mistakes or you have to go with someone you don't know. What I am trying to get to is do you GC's check your foundation subs layout behind his back and before the pours? My architect said when he is working on jobs he specs out that a surveyor must shoot the footing layout into the hole then shoot the stem wall layout after the footings are in and then shoot the stem wall before the poor. Does anyone else do that? It goes without saying that its fairly important to have the foundation square and level to make the rest of the job goes nicely and if its too far out it can be a pain fixing the foundation cause that stuff gets pretty hard ya know. Just wondering what you guys do.
When I've had concrete subs do a foundation, it's always been agreed that I would verify the form layout. I also set my own anchors and imbedments, a task the concrete guys are always happy to hand off.
As far as surveyors....I used one a couple of times and the layouts were absolutely perfect, but then a big, ongoing development to the south of me locked up all the local surveyors (most of them do logging and farm surveys...residential construction is just a sideline), so I learned to do it myself. A very nice transit w/stadia (for about the cost of a single survey) and a little math is really all it takes to do even a fairly complicated building layout.
For anyone interested in the basics, I recommend a book: Construction Surveying and Layout by Paul Stull, available through "Building News" 1-800-873-6397
I used to hate foundation work, but have learned to kind of enjoy it, while controlling the quality of the work knowing that I'll be the one building on top of it. And my crew is more attentive to detail for the same reasons.
Yes the general contractor (GC) should be checking the work of all the sub contractor & his own crew as it is being done, that is what you are paying the GC for. Not all GC do that part of the job. Some of the GC don’t care because it will cost money and time delay to get the bad work fixed. Most of the time the home owner did not get the standard to what the home is to be built to spelled out in the contract that they have with the GC. If the standard is even mention it is some thing vague like; standard building practices or workman like standards. What is it? That kind of statement to standards are not spelle out any where so it does not mean much.
>>When I built my house I wrote a check to the form guy and a check for the crete supplier. Form guy wanted it that way. No problem.
It is not unusual at all around here as well. Crete guys specs the loads and times, gc or owner cuts thr check to the driver. Never really asked why........neat and clean is my guess.
Guess it's a regional thing ;~)
EricEvery once in a while, something goes right!
"Guess it's a regional thing..."
Must be. Sure surprised me.
I always assumed the concrete guys bought the concrete at a discount and marked it up before passing it along to the customer. I'm not really sure why they wouldn't do that.Did you hear about the guy that lost his left arm and leg in a car crash? He's all right now.
For your poured walls you might budget between $180 and $260 per net cubic yard, and your 250 lf of 9/0 wall on a 16" footer will have about 64 net cy. Thus your foundation walls, less any slab or pier work, might run you between $11.5K and $16.6K. But, only a reputable foundation builder in your area can tell you for sure.
For a basement that will be finished, call the guys at Superior Walls of the Hudson Valley, and see about a precast foundation. Your Superior Walls dealer/installer will provide you with a foundation design that is signed and sealed by a New York State P.E., which should satisfy your local code enforcement officer.
we buy the concrete our selve all the time, sub do not have the cash flow. only advice I can give you, on concrete suppliers, do not go with the cheapest, I would pay the most exspensive due to 99% time they have the best quality mud. cheapest cutting material to stay competive. cut 1/2 sack per mix, lose 500 psi.
Bob Dylan has it pretty much in the ballpark. On high walls that require backfill, engineering is required most places. The cost will vary with the complexity of your foundation footprint. I'm a G/C and, for the most part, have pretty much gotten into doing all my foundation work (for one thing, the workers comp rates for my crew are much lower for residential concrete work :-) ).
The foundation I recently completed had a massive footing, a lot of corners and some steps (a lot of cutting up and/or piecing together form panels), wall buttresses and a LOT of #6 rebar and seismic anchors (we're in seismic zone 4 here on the south Oregon coast), perimeter insulation in the slab, expansion joints....all things which run the cost up.
The house is 3300 sq. ft., w/living space in the garage and one story above. Steel and insulation costs topped $5K, 130 yds of 3000 psi concrete @ $70 yd., pump $920 total for the 3 pours (footings, walls and slab), labor, just over $8K, misc. materials (forms boards, stakes, nails, wire, under-slab fill and compaction, vapor barrier and insulation) $1800, and profit and we're up to nearly $30K, and in Dylan's ballpark of about $230 per yard.
I didn't include the engineering in all that, because the house we're building was off of stock plans and, as Piffin pointed out, had to be reworked from ground to ridgebeam.
If you're in a less seismic conscious area and your layout is straightforward, you might get by a little easier than what I've described.
You might also look for someone locally who is certified to do ICF's like ARXX panels and skip a lot of the engineering since the IRC codebook spells out the construction specs for them and others.
I am also not in the business, but just finished my own house and wanted to offer a couple of obervations. First, I would not look for thumbrules for budgeting. Take the time to get multiple quotes off your prints. Your architect might be able to give you some budetary numbers if you need them, though mine wasn't real good at that. Just figuring off of linear feet can mislead you if your site requires use of a pumper, if you've got brick and need 10" thick vs. 8", if you have exterior stairs from the basement, suspended slabs, etc. Secondly, I'd suggest getting an architect not only to design the foundation, but to look over the plans also. Although this was my first house, I'm an engineer and have built lots of equipment over the years. I believe good design and clear drawings are absolutely essential, especially for someone with less experience. I have seen numerous problems from these purchased plans (I'm sure some companies are better than others).
I hope this didn't discourage you, just wanted to stress the importance of planning. I do think building your own is the only way to go. I built mine on a complicated site in 17 weeks, 3% underbudget, brother in law probably won't get over it.
Good Luck - Jack
Everyone,
Thanks a lot for all the information, it's a big help. I will keep you guys posted and I am sure post a lot more questions.
In the meantime where is breaktime located? I'd like to buy you guys lunch.
Thanks,
Mark
"...where is breaktime located?"
Good question - No one has ever asked that before.
Anybody got a good answer for that one ???I'm currently fasting to protest hunger strikes.
i'm hung up on that question myself!
reminds me of Stockdale's statement,
Who am I
What are we doing here?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
If there's free food involved, it's in a little town called Snohomish, Wa.
Come feed me!!!!
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Don't forget to leave a tip.
You know what the special is today?Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
PayPal works for me.
Its the way to pay, at the cyber cafe. I feel a song comin' on.