Pile Cap Depth

[Anne651]

Does pile caps have to be below frost depth?
So if I have grade beams, then its minimum thickness
would be 4feet? Lets say I designed a grade beam to be
500mm thick, do I have to make it 1.2m?

 

[hokie66]

Frost depth would control the level of the bottom of your grade beam, but not the depth.

 

[msquared48]

Adding to hokie66, you can always construct a concrete stem wall above a grade beam, and the wood framing over that.

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

 

[lkjh345]

IMHO: I would check with your contractor (if known). Depending on the situation, and location of the project, many would prefer to cast the grade beam/pile caps the full thickness (in your case 1.2m) rather than cast a 500mm thick grade beam and come back and build a 700mm tall stem wall on top. It takes a lot of extra concrete but save forming labor.

 

[civilperson]

A heated building with external vertical perimeter insulation does not have to have pile cap base below frost depth.