I have been working on building a 20x30 house on a frost-protected slab. The plan for the slab was to be a thickened edge, monolithic, Alaskan slab, 2 feet tall with 16" wide footings and two 1/2-inch rebar top and bottom and a 1 foot wide by 8 inch deep grade beam down the middle of the 30...
Thanks for the replies. I dug my foundation drain down at least 6 inches below the level of the trench I had. So, I have a trench in a trench: a 5 foot wide trench with a 1-1/2 foot wide by 6+" deep trench around its outer perimeter. This was easier than the curtain drain and should serve to...
Thanks for the reply, pba. The geo I have been talking to offers plenty of advice but says there is not much a site visit will do to provide more information.
Though the water level has dropped to 4-5 inches below the bottom of the trench the soil is staying wet and non-compactable. The...
A quick update, though opinions are still welcomed:
I've decided to dig the curtain drain, trying to get it at least 1 to 1-1/2 feet below the trench bottom. Reading I have done on such drains brings up different opinions as to type of backfill, 1-1/2 inch stone wrapped in fabric vs. sand...
I am owner-building a 30x20 story and a half home in NE Vermont on a frost protected monolithic (thickened edge slab. The site has approx. 5-6% slope, silty soils and is at the bottom of a watershed of approx. 250 acres that goes a mile back.
Excavation was done to get the topsoil off at the...