Brick underpinning around my mobile home
 

I am about to tear the vinyl skirting off of my mobile home and replace
it with brick. I intended to pour a concrete footing down to the
frostline -- 12" here in SC.

Two people have told me a footing is unnecessary. One says just to turn
the first row of brick sideways and on edge and build on that. The
other says as long as I have good red clay under it, just to lay the
brick directly on the clay.

Does anyone here have experience w/ this kind of construction on
Southern red clay? Is this sane or is it a shortcut I'll regret?

Thanks.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am about to tear the vinyl skirting off of my mobile home and replace
it with brick. I intended to pour a concrete footing down to the
frostline -- 12" here in SC.

Two people have told me a footing is unnecessary. One says just to turn
the first row of brick sideways and on edge and build on that. The
other says as long as I have good red clay under it, just to lay the
brick directly on the clay.

Does anyone here have experience w/ this kind of construction on
Southern red clay? Is this sane or is it a shortcut I'll regret?

You don't need much of a footing, since (hopefully) a few feet of brick is
all the weight to be supported. You will need to either do a double-layer
wall stitched together, or use rebar through brick holes, or something- a
single layer of brick isn't very strong against sideways forces. Going down
to frostline is still a good idea, to avoid toppling the wall in winter.
Don't forget to leave a big access hatch, big enough for whatever
mechanicals are under the house. As long as you are pouring concrete anyway,
any painless way to put a full slab under there? Reduces moisture problems,
and gives you a storage cubby for seldom-used items.

Alternative idea, that would probably work right on the dirt- if you can
find a cheap source for retaining wall blocks, the kind that interlock like
giant legos, you could dry-stack those, and trim out the top edge with 1x8
plastic deck board.

aem sends...