Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

On Apr 1, 11:41*am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

If it is just a deck not attached to the house with a roof over the
deck I dont think you need to worry about depth you need only to
support the weight and keep the deck from sinking. I used flat 2"
concrete block, the deck has been fine since 72

franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

Below the frost line and to solid ground.

Might be 50 feet in a swamp- but in relatively stable ground, just get
below frost.

If you're pouring concrete, don't forget to make the base large
enough.

Jim

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:02:24 -0700, ransley wrote:

On Apr 1, 11:41Â*am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Â*Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

If it is just a deck not attached to the house with a roof over the deck
I dont think you need to worry about depth you need only to support the
weight and keep the deck from sinking. I used flat 2" concrete block,
the deck has been fine since 72

It's attached. Soil is sandy loam..

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:03:56 -0400, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

Below the frost line and to solid ground.

Might be 50 feet in a swamp- but in relatively stable ground, just get
below frost.

If you're pouring concrete, don't forget to make the base large enough.

Jim

Soil is sandy loam.

On Apr 1, 12:03*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
*franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

Below the frost line and to solid ground.

Might be 50 feet in a swamp- but in relatively stable ground, just get
below frost.

If you're pouring concrete, don't forget to make the base large
enough.

Jim

For me frost depth is 3 feet, my porch has been fine 35 years set at
ground level on block, a 25 x 30 foot deck, so to just say below frost
line is BS

franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?
At least 4 feet. Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. At a minimum
wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place in the
face of frost heaves. Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a straight
footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt cycles.

On Apr 1, 12:22*pm, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:02:24 -0700, ransley wrote:
On Apr 1, 11:41*am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central Wisconsin..

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

If it is just a deck not attached to the house with a roof over the deck
I dont think you need to worry about depth you need only to support the
weight and keep the deck from sinking. I used flat 2" concrete block,
the deck has been fine since 72

It's attached. *Soil is sandy loam..

By atached I meant a porch with roof. Go ahead dig down 4 ft and have
fun but all you need is a pad, and wood should not touch concrete but
should be bolted to special plates to keep it from rotting that keep
it off the ground.

On Apr 1, 12:30*pm, Boden wrote:
franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. *Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. *At a minimum
wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place in the
face of frost heaves. *Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a straight
footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt cycles.

Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this
is a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended
to have Pads, not foundations to frost. A fence yes, but not a deck.

on 4/1/2008 1:35 PM ransley said the following:
On Apr 1, 12:30 pm, Boden wrote:

franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. At a minimum
wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place in the
face of frost heaves. Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a straight
footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt cycles.


Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this
is a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended
to have Pads, not foundations to frost. A fence yes, but not a deck.


He is in Wisconsin, and he says the deck is attached to the house.
If the deck is attached to the house, it needs support starting below
the frost line. Having a deck on surface pads heave a half inch or so
during a Wisconsin winter will certainly un-attach the deck from the
house, over time.



--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

ransley wrote:

-snip-
For me frost depth is 3 feet, my porch has been fine 35 years set at
ground level on block, a 25 x 30 foot deck, so to just say below frost
line is BS

To me, a deck is not a porch. You can attach a deck so it slops up
and down with the frost. [I wouldn't- but you could] A porch
needs to be rigid so the roof doesn't rip away from the side of the
house.

If it is on bedrock, there isn't any frost heave, so you can get away
with more.

But if it was mine, I'd go below frost and not have to revisit that
job. On sandy loam I'd also want a huge elephant foot set on
compacted crushed stone.

But that's just me. If there will be a permit involved, the only
person that can answer the OPs question is the OPs building inspector.

Jim

On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:35:11 -0700 (PDT), ransley
wrote:
-snip-
Even small sheds you buy are recomended
to have Pads, not foundations to frost.

The reason sheds are allowed to have pads is because they float up and
down & it doesn't matter.

Presumably the house stays in place because it has a foundation. If
you attach something rigid to the house, it must not move up and down
or it will pull itself away from the house.

Jim

On Apr 1, 1:16*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:35:11 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

-snip-

Even small sheds you buy are recomended
to have Pads, not foundations to frost.

The reason sheds are allowed to have pads is because they float up and
down & it doesn't matter. *

Presumably the house stays in place because it has a foundation. *If
you attach something rigid to the house, it must not move up and down
or it will pull itself away from the house.

Jim

Why not its a deck, and mine is fine after 35 years doing it, You dont
have doors or windows to worry about I still say its overkill as I
have had no problems. If it had doors or a roof attached to the home
then it would need piers.

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:35:11 -0700, ransley wrote:

On Apr 1, 12:30Â*pm, Boden wrote:
franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Â*Central
Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. Â*Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. Â*At a
minimum wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place
in the face of frost heaves. Â*Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a
straight footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt
cycles.

Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this is
a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended to
have Pads, not foundations to frost. A fence yes, but not a deck.

It's an attached porch with roof. Not a deck! I never mentioned deck.
No idea where this came from.

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:07:21 -0400, willshak wrote:

on 4/1/2008 1:35 PM ransley said the following:
On Apr 1, 12:30 pm, Boden wrote:

franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central
Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. At a
minimum wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place
in the face of frost heaves. Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a
straight footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt
cycles.


Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this
is a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended to
have Pads, not foundations to frost. A fence yes, but not a deck.


He is in Wisconsin, and he says the deck is attached to the house. If
the deck is attached to the house, it needs support starting below the
frost line. Having a deck on surface pads heave a half inch or so during
a Wisconsin winter will certainly un-attach the deck from the house,
over time.

It's a porch, NOT a deck.

On Apr 1, 3:14*pm, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:35:11 -0700, ransley wrote:
On Apr 1, 12:30*pm, Boden wrote:
franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central
Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. *Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. *At a
minimum wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place
in the face of frost heaves. *Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a
straight footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt
cycles.

Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this is
a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended to
have Pads, not foundations to frost. *A fence yes, but not a deck.

It's an attached porch with roof. *Not a deck! *I never mentioned deck.. *
No idea where this came from.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Go take out a building permit, like required. And while you're there
you can ask the building inspector. He/she may not give you an
answer, but an architect will.

franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

Around here the building inspector has taken a liking to the
earth screw ground anchor. Screw down below frost line. I used them
for my decks a few years ago. No movement at all.

The link just shows the general idea.

http://gmesupply.com/index.php/cPath...FQq0HgodQGaVYA

The anchors I used had a threaded end and a adjustable bracket for
bolting to the wood.

They're called ground hogs around here. Home Depot has them.

LdB

On Apr 1, 2:14*pm, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:35:11 -0700, ransley wrote:
On Apr 1, 12:30*pm, Boden wrote:
franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. *Central
Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

At least 4 feet. *Use Sonotube's BigFoot base if possible. *At a
minimum wrap the Sonotube in polyethylene to help keeping it in place
in the face of frost heaves. *Most decks don't weigh enough to keep a
straight footing in the ground when there are frequent freeze/melt
cycles.

Sonotubes, yea right, bs , if he is building an addition ok, but this is
a dam Deck, nothing more. Even small sheds you buy are recomended to
have Pads, not foundations to frost. *A fence yes, but not a deck.

It's an attached porch with roof. *Not a deck! *I never mentioned deck.. *
No idea where this came from.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sorry, I thought Deck, a porch with roof needs support below frost
line.

On Apr 1, 11:41 am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

I am in SE Wisconsin, and I believe that my local inspector made me go
42" deep here, but it could have been 48". Should be about the same
for you in Central WI, but you should probably verify with your local
building dept. I would be willing to bet that it will be 48" or 54".

JK

On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 19:18:49 -0700 (PDT), Big_Jake
wrote:

On Apr 1, 11:41 am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

I am in SE Wisconsin, and I believe that my local inspector made me go
42" deep here, but it could have been 48". Should be about the same
for you in Central WI, but you should probably verify with your local
building dept. I would be willing to bet that it will be 48" or 54".

JK

Here in Iowa that's about what it is too. It is because the inspectors
want them to be below the frost line.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 19:18:49 -0700 (PDT), Big_Jake
wrote:


On Apr 1, 11:41 am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:

Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

I am in SE Wisconsin, and I believe that my local inspector made me go
42" deep here, but it could have been 48". Should be about the same
for you in Central WI, but you should probably verify with your local
building dept. I would be willing to bet that it will be 48" or 54".

JK


Here in Iowa that's about what it is too. It is because the inspectors
want them to be below the frost line.
Hi,
It depends on frost line. Here(Alberta) it is 6 feet.

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:18:49 -0700, Big_Jake wrote:

On Apr 1, 11:41 am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
Thinking about replacing an old porch this summer. Central Wisconsin.

What is recommended depth for footings of corner posts?

I am in SE Wisconsin, and I believe that my local inspector made me go
42" deep here, but it could have been 48". Should be about the same for
you in Central WI, but you should probably verify with your local
building dept. I would be willing to bet that it will be 48" or 54".

JK

Code is 48". This is very sandy soil. If solid sand, perhaps 42".