# Ever done one of these?



## shanekw1 (Mar 20, 2008)

I worked on this job a couple years ago, this guy was building a new house and the entire thing was on wood, no concrete anywhere. He built it on built up rows of gravel with treated 2x10 or 12 laid flat on the gravel, then a treated 2x8 flat on top of the 2x12 and finally a treated 2x6 flat on that. The walls are treated 2x6 on 12" centers with 1" treated plywood. Poly laid on the ground and the floors hung off the walls.

When the inspector showed up he was like "umm... are you sure you can do this? I've never seen or heard of it." He and the HO talked for a bit, then another inspector showed up and was like "ummm... I'm not sure if you can do this" but eventually they passed it.

Any of you guys ever see or do one of these? I think it's the craziest thing ever.


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## Bill (Mar 30, 2006)

Im not sure, but I do know they have installed those prefab concrete walls, Superior walls I think, and I had to install the plumbing under the slab before they poured. I dug under the wall expecting to hit a footing, but no, there was none! Just the walls sitting on peat gravel! So I guess you can. And yes, there is a company that specializes in wooden foundation walls too. Not seen that though.

Got to be a HO, notice the ladder?


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## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

There's a couple of homeless shacks out here that are all wood construction, don't know about longevity, the cities tear them down pretty quickly.

.


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## Stewy (Nov 11, 2007)

Have seen it a few times, if done properly suppose to work well and last a long time. You may find some info if you search "wood foundations"


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

First treated foundations I saw 
were in the 70's.
Lot's of problems like anything new,
but they are approved in most jurisdictions.
As far as the gravel footers, 
some of the oldest houses I've worked on
had either gravel or cinder footings.
Some just 12" of brick on clay 
and doing just fine thank you.


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## Bill (Mar 30, 2006)

We have here in VA some homes that were actually built on "Piles" of rocks! Thats right, just piled up rocks in the 4 corners with maybe a few piles in the center. Morter? None. You can remove some of the rocks by hand. Now thats scary to crawl up under one of those things!


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## Cdat (Apr 18, 2007)

We have one just down the street about 12 houses away. We all laughed when they were building it but so far, five years, no problems.


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## Dustball (Jul 7, 2006)

Permanent Wood Foundations PWF

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=permanent+wood+foundations










My local PWF builder has a 25 year leak-free warranty


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

Last fall the wife and I went to check out a couple log home factories in NY outside of the Binghamton area. One of them had a group of like 4 models built on the road side. One had a wood foundation that was built out of 2X6 12" OC. After seeing the wicked bow in the walls I would never do a wood foundation. Judging by the age of the appliances in this particular model, it must have been built in the late '80's. Wood foundation:no:...you can keep it.


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

shanekw1 said:


> When the inspector showed up he was like "umm... are you sure you can do this? I've never seen or heard of it." He and the HO talked for a bit, then another inspector showed up and was like "ummm... I'm not sure if you can do this" but eventually they passed it.


Ummmmmm, sounds like Mr. Inspector didn't bother to review the plans before he issued the permit. The time for him to question the foundation is when it is on paper on his desk in the office, not after you built it.


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## wallmaxx (Jun 18, 2007)

When I had to remodel a 100 + year old farm house out here, it was sitting on big 16" diameter cedar logs for a ground contact foundation. The cedar was fine. I guess as long as it says dry from rain...the ground humidity was negligible. It did seem that the house had settled a bit though. some of the hand-made wood windows were a bit skewed.

Off topic - the carpenter's back then were awesome. The MADE everything! They built from scratch every part of the window except for these heavy weight things that were inside channels in the walls.:notworthy


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## Higgs (Sep 9, 2007)

one of my instructors in college built his first house that way. it worked and i believe he sold it for a good chunk of change


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

oh ja. Before concrete was invented, all the foundations were Barney (Rubble). I taught everbody knewed dat.


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## AZ GRC (Aug 4, 2008)

check 2007 IRC, still legal rarely practiced. Much like balloon framing and box headers, nonsense that has and will work when done right.


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## TMG1 (Aug 17, 2008)

Heard of it, never saw one though.


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## tool junkie (Jan 30, 2008)

The problem with inspectors is they dont know it all and question stuff if they never did it themselves. The plan checkers are a more knowledgable bunch and approove designs and issue the permits. Then Mr Inspector comes allong and nay-saying what has already been approoved. Then he puts a hold on the project while he goes back to the dept only to be told yeah its fine. I cant count the times Ive had to go to the city myself to get the inspector over-ruled.


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## Midwest BuildIT (Mar 16, 2006)

TimNJ said:


> Ummmmmm, sounds like Mr. Inspector didn't bother to review the plans before he issued the permit. The time for him to question the foundation is when it is on paper on his desk in the office, not after you built it.


If i had a million dollars for every time this has happened. I love it when they approve plans and then tell you, you built it wrong, when you built it to the plans they approved..


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## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

USP45 said:


> Got to be a HO, notice the ladder?


You're kidding right? That's the best ladder ever! I just used it for a roof inspection-21' extended to get atop the roof, pulled it up and set it up as an unequal leg A to get on top of the second roof. It's also the perfect width for a 12' expandable plank to slide into the rails. :thumbup:


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## J.R. (Aug 28, 2008)

Wel from a log time concrete guy I think its time for termites


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## Agolk2 (Mar 24, 2008)

Higgs said:


> one of my instructors in college built his first house that way. it worked and i believe he sold it for a good chunk of change


Those are called counter-weights  Make it easy to open large windows before WD-40 and metal track existed


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## indyonline (Oct 21, 2007)

Wow, thats pretty crazy. I would have never thought they would have passed something like this.


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## richard123 (Oct 13, 2008)

yeah how did they approve that??? i think that a well finished wooden exterior can look just as nice.


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## MarkC (Nov 4, 2008)

That seems like a really bad idea, without a good reason.

Mark C


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## orange Garrison (Nov 8, 2008)

bugs, bugs, bugs!


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## Candlewood (May 7, 2008)

USP45 said:


> We have here in VA some homes that were actually built on "Piles" of rocks! Thats right, just piled up rocks in the 4 corners with maybe a few piles in the center. Morter? None. You can remove some of the rocks by hand. Now thats scary to crawl up under one of those things!


Yup seen that in Blackstone,Va. Houses are 100+ years and still standing.


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## all vinyl (Apr 2, 2004)

S looked at a job in central N.J. the man wanted an addition off his porch I went down to check out the foundation and floor joist . THE floor joist were 2 model A frames set on top of pears and built off of strong floor .


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## fehrandsquare (Feb 7, 2008)

I recently just finished one of these PWF foundations. There is ways to do the column pad with wood and not concrete. Very time consuming. 

They also have to be enginered/meet standards for the soil condition and back fill height.


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## mics_54 (Oct 28, 2008)

*Page 70 and 71*

...of the 2006 International Residential Code for One and Two Family Dwellings.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Umbrella weights is what those things for the windows are called. My house has a rubble stone foundation on a full basement, dry as a bone, no tile or drainage. Some of you guys dont see a whole lot of things huh? Oh and it is ballon framed, makes for a ***** sometimes moving a 2 1/2" by 6 1/2" oak stud around. There are a few houses I have been in, under, and on top of that were seriously old. One looked like a barn, no nails, all pegged. None of the studs, if that is what you want to call them, in my house are nailed to anything except the top plate, an I think there is only one nail in that. Been here 120+ years, still holding in there!


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Interesting thread. What holds these houses together, gravity?


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

boman47k said:


> What holds these houses together, gravity?


Hey, it works for the pyramids, dunnit? :jester:


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## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

I built some geodesic dome homes back in the early 80's and we used all wood foundations.


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## will575 (Nov 5, 2008)

I think I'd prefer concrete


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## Ten Fingers (Nov 5, 2006)

"We have here in VA some homes that were actually built on "Piles" of rocks! "

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If your pile of rocks has survived 50 years, I'd prefer that to a wood foundation to survive another 50 years.


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