How to build utility room on slab under piling house?
Warren White
4 months ago
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 months agolast modified: 4 months agoDeWayne
4 months agoRelated Discussions
Building in Maine - basement, slab, or crawlspace?
Comments (27)"Basements Vs slabs", Practically all basements have slabs and most of them have plumbing underneath, same for 99.99% of commercial buildings. Not building a slab (or basement) for plumbing fears is typical for DIY types unfamiliar with concrete work. Designed and built right, there should be no reason to tear up the concrete in one's lifetime. If it does need to be redone, it's still light construction and not a problem for professional contractors. Building a basement or crawlspace below variable water tables can be appropriate if there is enough topography to daylight the drainage. Relying on pumps is a recipe for eventual failure. The wetter the site, the bigger the concern. Daylighted drainage that works by gravity, should be designed well, with plenty of clean gravel, silt protection and cleanouts. If your builder or grader shows up with corrugated, single wall PE, better call in an experienced civil engineer. It sounds like your lot is ideal for a stemwall slab, basically a crawlspace filled with compacted fill or better yet clean gravel and topped with a slab. This elevates the slab and provides gravity proven drainage below. Worthy's FPSF suggestion is also worth a look if your lot is really that flat. Slabs have better building science fundamentals being a well defined boundary (drainage, air barrier, insulation) between the elements and living space. Crawls are more confused. Vented crawlspaces in humid climates (east of MS) should be illegal, and if you decide to go unvented, ensure the entire crawl floor slopes to a daylighted drain. With a good design team, forced-air ductwork does not have to go in a basement, crawlspace or attic....See MoreJUNE 2018 - How’s your house build?
Comments (247)We have (some) tile! The wrong tile was ordered for my girls’ bathroom and for the laundry room. Luckily, I saw it RIGHT before it was going to be installed. It was nothing close to what I wanted in looks, but the name was really close- hence the mistake. Now we are waiting for the correct tile to come in, so those rooms and my middle son’s bathroom haven’t been started yet. (mudroom) (Powder room) (Master bath floor) (Basement bath floor) And half of a completed exterior! Nidnay, you mentioned earlier up the thread about shutters being looked at unfavorably on Houzz (I think yours are beautiful, btw, and perfect for your gorgeous house!), but I think my white hardie board with black windows get more disdain than shutters- haha. On another note, anyone else Looking at furniture? We live in a big furniture manufacturing area, so we went to a factory to look at some pieces on Thursday. Now I am trying to decide on fabrics. I’m leaning towards the ones below: Leather for sofa, light color for other sofa (it’s bulletproof fabric, so kid and pet friendly, otherwise I would never look at such a light color with 4 kids and 4 pets!). Patterned fabric and lagoon fabric (pic below this one) would be for chairs. One for the head of table dining room chairs, and one for the 2 arm chairs to go with the sofas. Trying to decide which fabric for which chairs, and keep changing my mind! We have a great room, so these pieces will all be in eye shot of each other. Lagoon...See Morecost comparison for slab vs micro piles
Comments (31)When soil conditions are such that a concrete slab on grade foundation can adequately support a house, it will be the most economical foundation possible in most cases. But...when there are problematic soils conditions...such as highly expansive soils--then other types of foundations may be required. Said differently, foundation design is a function of the condition and composition of the existing soil....See MoreHow much does a plumber charge for installing DWV under a slab?
Comments (8)My house was built in 1940, and we did a basement bathroom conversion from a single toilet and washtub drain to a full bath, utility sink and washer. You should first look at your main vertical soil stack and also at the point where your water supply line enters the house, because this will give you an idea of the path for the existing drain pipe (main soil drain usually exits the house on the same path as the incoming water supply). Assuming the drain under the floor is on a line between the soil stack and the incoming water line, how far will your new bathroom be from that line? You must plan to demo the entire floor under the new bathroom, and enough of the cement floor to reach the existing drain pipe. Now determine where you are going to run your 2" vent stack for the new bathroom. It must go at least to the attic, where it could join with a larger main stack to penetrate the roof, or it will be a dedicated run to exit the roof. Once you get that figured out, you should lay out the new bathroom and figure out how all the vent lines and drains will tie together. The drain "flow" must be toward the existing drain, including the required slope and use of proper fittings where pipes connect. I have found that an experienced plumber can lay this out quite quickly, and its a lot faster than trying to read through how-to books and code compliance info to figure it out yourself. Also consider where windows will be, if you need to install a vent fan and/or heater, etc. Look at your existing electric wiring and breakers to determine what you need anything new for this area. Adding a few LED lights is a minimal load, but an electric bath heater and the mandatory 20 amp GFCI will require new wiring and breakers. From there you need to make your project plan and start finding contractors, or just find a general contractor to do it all. You could certainly do the floor demo yourself, but then you have plumbing to install, cement to pour, framing, wiring, etc. You will also have to comply with local code for insulation, water management, etc., but its usually not that complicated. Bruce...See MoreMark Bischak, Architect
4 months agoBeverlyFLADeziner
4 months agoGina Gilgo
4 months agoGina Gilgo
4 months agoDavid Cary
4 months agolast modified: 4 months agoKR KNuttle
4 months agoNorwood Architects
4 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
4 months agoKR KNuttle
4 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 months agocpartist
4 months agoWarren White
4 months agoWarren White
4 months agoDavid Cary
4 months agolast modified: 4 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
4 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 months agoDeWayne
4 months agolast modified: 4 months agocpartist
4 months agoWarren White
4 months agoDeWayne
4 months agoWarren White
4 months ago
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