Footings or Piers
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OVERVIEW: FOOTINGS (PIERS)
Footings are the foundation for whatever you
are building, be it a set of stairs, a deck, or even an addition. Footings are concrete
piers that go into the ground below the frost level. Meaning that, when the ground is at
full typical freeze, the bottom of the footing is slightly below. This is so the footing
does not "heave" with the ground as it expands and contracts. If the base of
your footing is below the frost line, your project should never move up or down with the
change of seasons.
Generally a footing
should be 10" or 12" wide by whatever your local code requires for a footing
depth. ( In my part of the country we have to go down 48") check with your local
building dept. and they will tell you how far down to go.
COSTS: FOOTINGS
Footings require allot of grunt work. Therefore, they generally cost between $50 and $100,
Including digging and concrete, depending on your contractor.
TOOLS:
1)
Gloves
2) Shovel (spade)
3) Post hole digger
4) Bar ( for removing large rocks )
5) Small level
6) Sono-tube or something to form the
footings.
How is it Done:
The best tool for
footings is a post hole digger, you can also rent a power auger to dig the holes. If your
area is very rocky the power auger will be difficult to operate. If you don't a post hole
digging tool, you can rent one at your local rental store. Its best to start with a
spade. Dig as far as you can then switch to the post hole digger. Dig down to the required
depth and install a section of sono-tube ( a cylindrical cardboard product used to hold
concrete). Keep the Sono-Tube roughly 6" above grade to keep standing rain
water from the bottom of posts, use a 24 or 30" level on the inside of the tube to
plumb the tube. While holding the sono-tube plumb, carefully shovel in some dirt
around the tube to hold it in place. Continue filling and packing the dirt until level
with grade. Now mix your concrete and fill. Gently tapping the outside of the footing will
remove some of the air bubbles. You can peel away the form material in about a day. Check
out our concrete tips first.