Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I want to buid a storage buiding/garage and have a question about the foundation. My brother in-law built his house in NC with a treated wood foundation built on a bed of gravel. Is this still an acceptable way to build a foundation? I want to try to avoid the expense of a concrete foundation if possible.
Thank you,
I want to buid a storage buiding/garage and have a question about the foundation. My brother in-law built his house in NC with a treated wood foundation built on a bed of gravel. Is this still an acceptable way to build a foundation? I want to try to avoid the expense of a concrete foundation if possible.
Thank you,
You say storage / garage. What exactly is it, how big? Do you intend to use it as a garage and is it designed for that function?
In general in most places you will not get away with that for a garage. Must have a standard type slab construction. Not only to meet the local codes but probably be a taxed structure.
Sheds and storage can be all over the lot. Even many big cities do not regulate them that close. Some it is how permanent or attached they are? If not on a slab, not permanently anchored to earth but more or less sitting on blocks or gravel or whatever and under a certain size they don't get much hassle. Very old sheds on slabs might be grandfathered. Might not even be a taxed structure. Size is usually something like less than 10 x 10 feet one story. Generally referred to as a shed.
Sounds like you are trying to beat both the inspector and the tax man at the same time. Depends so much on your location / local rules.
I want to buid a storage buiding/garage and have a question about the foundation. My brother in-law built his house in NC with a treated wood foundation built on a bed of gravel. Is this still an acceptable way to build a foundation? I want to try to avoid the expense of a concrete foundation if possible.
Thank you,
vspring
Well your BIW did wrong. If a nosy neighbor or a mad neighbor felt like it they can rat on him and the Code Officials will make him tear it down or raise it after pouring a foundation or proper pier. Rural areas may not be this strict
I really doubt putting a floor directly on a bed or gravel is legal anywhere even if it is treated wood.
You may not have to pour a foundation which has to be at least 3" deep but needs to be deeper at the perimeter. Probably about 7 to 8" in North Carolina.
You will also have to deal with setbacks. Some areas I lived the rule was for every foot high the structure must be 1 foot from the property line. So if you are 8' tall then the shed has to be minimum of 8' from all property lines. Pretty dumb rule huh? I know.
Wood foundations are indeed still permitted by the International Residential Code. Check with your local building department as they may have issued an amendment to the IRC or have not adopted the IRC as the governing code.
Wood foundations can function perfectly fine and can last a very long time when subgrade moisture is mitigated correctly. I would not hesitate using them for a storage shed/garage as there are substantial savings using wood foundations versus a cast in place foundation.
Wood foundations are indeed still permitted by the International Residential Code. Check with your local building department as they may have issued an amendment to the IRC or have not adopted the IRC as the governing code.
Wood foundations can function perfectly fine and can last a very long time when subgrade moisture is mitigated correctly. I would not hesitate using them for a storage shed/garage as there are substantial savings using wood foundations versus a cast in place foundation.
Keep in mind the OP is in a hurricane zone. Permanantly mounted structures are required. You can not sit a structure on top of gravel unsecured.
Anchorage is required even in non hurricane zones. You can not anchor a structure by sitting it on gravel. Any foundation must be set in undisturbed earth and the depth of that foundation depends on where in the country you live which states the frost line.
Many local building codes might not specifically prevent it. I'm reading this is not attached to a house and has the proper seperation distance / fire rating.
But common sense sezs wood floors went out with the buggy whip in garages. Big problem would be fuel / oil spills. Wood will soak up and hold it. Be like tinder forever. Same problem that occurred in the old Boston three deckers. They stored kerosene in the back hall on every landing. Fueled cooking / heating stoves, lots got spilt in those back storage areas. In a fire it all went quick, fuel soaked boards burn so nice. Lil spark would set it off in the right area. Ignition sources, petro products and wood floors don't exactly mix well.
Might be an oversight today in most building codes, they figure nobody is enough idiot to still put wood floor in a garage. Lots of the old ones burnt down for a reason. Maybe if you dig deep enough they would require a sprinkler system.
This ain't looking to be a great idea from a number of angles. Backwoods construction that you never tell nobody bout. Could do in my county, even put a dirt floor in there, nobody would say nothing. Most insurance companies ain't all that interested tho.
Have that puppy blow into the next county in the Big One. At some point with it sitting on the ground some bug / critter will figure out how to eat it. Not the best design in my book no matter what the codes allow.
Chapter 4 of the International Residential code makes numerous references to wood foundations - They are perfectly permissible.
I think of couple of you are thoroughly confused on what a wood foundation is. You wouldn’t need to have a wood floor on a wood foundation – you could pour a concrete slab on grade just like you would if you used cast in place foundations. And wood foundations are anchored into the ground just like a cast in place foundation. In fact, chapter 4 of the IRC even has a very nice suggested detail for wood foundations.
There is nothing wrong with wood foundations and they certainly are not “backwoods” construction. They are simply a unpopular and rare foundation system because they are perceived as not being as durable as a cast in place foundation.
To be frank I don't know how anybody knows what this guy wants to do. He ain't really sezs.
Is it a dog box, shed, garage or all of the above? Typical thread where we wonder all over the place based on assumptions. OP never chimes back in.
Floor could be wood, dirt or chicken droppings.
Lots of this type of stuff all over my county. Most of it you sure do not want to buy with your good money. I ain't against creative alternative building practices just they should be reasonable. Hopefully not all filled with dry rot like so much of it I've seen in the last few years.
I also love not having any code type permits and maybe being able to beat the taxman but I want it to be more standard construction in the main. I already got one of those wood floor garages on stilts built into a hillside, it got its share of dry rot. Why would anybody want to repeat that experience? Believe me, ain't worth it. Character it got, the rest you hum awhile. Never have chanced putting the car in there.
To be frank I don't know how anybody knows what this guy wants to do. He ain't really sezs.
Is it a dog box, shed, garage or all of the above? Typical thread where we wonder all over the place based on assumptions. OP never chimes back in.
Floor could be wood, dirt or chicken droppings.
Lots of this type of stuff all over my county. Most of it you sure do not want to buy with your good money. I ain't against creative alternative building practices just they should be reasonable. Hopefully not all filled with dry rot like so much of it I've seen in the last few years.
I also love not having any code type permits and maybe being able to beat the taxman but I want it to be more standard construction in the main. I already got one of those wood floor garages on stilts built into a hillside, it got its share of dry rot. Why would anybody want to repeat that experience? Believe me, ain't worth it. Character it got, the rest you hum awhile. Never have chanced putting the car in there.
I think we all hate when a one hit one post wonder posts a question and the subject is debated (guessed at) for weeks and that person either never ever reads the responses or does and rudely never comes back to at least thank the 40 responses to their question.
Maybe they will come back and clear things up. If not then we are just beating a dead Horse.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Confusing us..........
