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cement deck footings mchoghead 09-28-2007
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Posted by mchoghead on September 28, 2007, 9:27 pm
In haste I dug and poured footings for my deck 2 1/2' deep only to
find out they should have been poured 4' deep to get under the frost
line. The deck is already complete and now I am wondering the
probability that these footings will heave and cause damage to the
deck. It is attatched to the house. It would be a major undertaking
to pour new footings at this point but if I need to take it apart to
pour new footings I will. Any views on this are much appreciated.
Thanks


Posted by marson on September 28, 2007, 9:54 pm
On Sep 28, 8:27 pm, n...@spam.invalid (mchoghead) wrote:
> In haste I dug and poured footings for my deck 2 1/2' deep only to
> find out they should have been poured 4' deep to get under the frost
> line. The deck is already complete and now I am wondering the
> probability that these footings will heave and cause damage to the
> deck. It is attatched to the house. It would be a major undertaking
> to pour new footings at this point but if I need to take it apart to
> pour new footings I will. Any views on this are much appreciated.
> Thanks

Whether or not your deck footings heave depends on the soil type (clay
soils are more prone to heaving than sandy soils) and the amount of
water in the soil--poorly drained sites are more prone to heaving than
well drained sites.

Another option instead of digging new footings is to bury foam around
the footing to limit frost penetration. Of course, this might be as
much work as replacing the footing depending on how much room you have
under your deck.

I'd just keep an eye on it this winter--if it heaves, then you know
what you got to do.


Posted by RickH on September 29, 2007, 8:45 am
On Sep 28, 8:27 pm, n...@spam.invalid (mchoghead) wrote:
> In haste I dug and poured footings for my deck 2 1/2' deep only to
> find out they should have been poured 4' deep to get under the frost
> line. The deck is already complete and now I am wondering the
> probability that these footings will heave and cause damage to the
> deck. It is attatched to the house. It would be a major undertaking
> to pour new footings at this point but if I need to take it apart to
> pour new footings I will. Any views on this are much appreciated.
> Thanks

It depends on the soil drainage and also the winter. I had a gate
pole heave 3 inches in the 4th year after it was installed (last
winter was brutal), before that it was fine.


Posted by aemeijers on September 29, 2007, 4:36 pm

> On Sep 28, 8:27 pm, n...@spam.invalid (mchoghead) wrote:
>> In haste I dug and poured footings for my deck 2 1/2' deep only to
>> find out they should have been poured 4' deep to get under the frost
>> line. The deck is already complete and now I am wondering the
>> probability that these footings will heave and cause damage to the
>> deck. It is attatched to the house. It would be a major undertaking
>> to pour new footings at this point but if I need to take it apart to
>> pour new footings I will. Any views on this are much appreciated.
>> Thanks
>
> It depends on the soil drainage and also the winter. I had a gate
> pole heave 3 inches in the 4th year after it was installed (last
> winter was brutal), before that it was fine.
>
Agreed. Unless you have to satisfy a building or bank inspector, no point in
messing with it until there is a problem. Unless the ground under the deck
picks up a lot of water, you may be fine. This probably would be a 'known
defect' you have to disclose at sale time, however. Does your area require
permits and inspections for decks? Some buyers and banks freak at
'unofficial' home improvements. (Thankfully, the township I am in is not
that civilized. )


aem sends...



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