House of Arden, Part 11; Develop, Setting the Footings

Once the hole was dug, we needed to lay out the footing location, install the forms, level them, and dig them out to the proper depth. Once this was completed, reinforcing rod was installed, along with radiant heat tubing (the concrete footings and concrete walls above will be used for storing solar heat). Then the footings were poured, allowed to set, the forms removed, drain tile installed, and gravel laid down.
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Laying out the footings is critical as it determines the exact location of the house on the lot. This location is measured from surveyor stakes installed prior to excavation. The city requires strict setbacks from the street.
Critical points for the location of the house are determined and a rectangle of stakes and strings are laid out. (Picture 1 of 8). The squareness of the rectangle is determined by measuring the diagonal. (Remember the Pythagorean theorem?) Once the rectangle is set, the corners of the foundation are located with stakes. A string is stretched between these stakes and the location of the forms is measured from the strings.
Once the forms are in place, they are leveled using a spinning laser and a laser detector. (Picture 2 of 8) The forms are nailed to stakes to secure their position.
Once the forms are positioned, the dirt between the forms is dug out to achieve a depth of 10 inches. (Picture 3 of 8)
The reinforcing rod and (in the case of our house) radiant heat tubing (the concrete footing with concrete walls above will be used to store solar generated heat) is secured between the forms. (Picture 4 of 8)
Then it is time to pour the concrete between the forms. The concrete was delivered to the forms with a concrete pump, making the job relatively easy and quick. Once the concrete was in place, it was smoothed out level with the top of the forms. (Picture 5 of 8)
As the concrete began to set, reinforcing rod was placed into the concrete. This will strengthen the foundation walls and help tie the foundation to the footings. (Picture 6 of 8)
In addition to the main footings, pads were poured for the porch support posts. (Picture 7 of 8)
Once the concrete was set, the forms were removed, drain tile installed and gravel distributed around and between the footings. (Picture 8 of 8) The gravel protects the drain tile and provides sound footing for the next step ? Pouring the foundation.
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Develop the dream - the House of Arden - will continue next time with a description of the setting of the foundation on those footings.
© 2006, Gary L. Engstrom