# basement foundation question



## ken2736 (Aug 14, 2011)

Hello everyone
I could use some opinions on a site where I'm building my own home. The soil there is really soft. We dug a test hole down 8 ft with no rock visible. The water table is fairly high. I measured the water down in the well and its about 9 ft down. We dug the basement out 6 ft. Since the soil is soft we decided to spread the footings to 24 inches wide with an extra set of rebar . I didn't want to overdig and bring road mix in......another 10k or do piles into the ground. What's your opinions about the footing size on native soil at that depth of 6 ft?


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

i would sue the bastard who didn't tell you to get a geo technical engineer involved before you bought the lot. now, it's my recommondation that you build on the property, another 2' deeper than your initial intent...and put up with the water and mold in your basement. take your question to the DIY sister forum.


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## ken2736 (Aug 14, 2011)

What is the sister site........there are other new houses in the area and they do flood irrigate around the subdivision. The footings have been poured I bought the acre from a private party. We are installing drain tile with a sump pump also


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

If you havent poured concrete yet fill the hole in and if its a viable option, put the house on piers. I dealt with water in my own basement and it sucks! By the sounds of it your water table is high already..big rain or snow melt will compound the problem even if you do everything right with drainage. By the time you try to solve all the ways water WILL come in, having a basment might not be worth it. Put the money into a nice garage or barn instead if you can.

Of course I`m saying this based on limited information and on my own hatred of having to deal with a wet basement...which took a lot of effort to stop the water but I did.


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## ken2736 (Aug 14, 2011)

Yes the footings are poured.......there is moisture about 20 inches up the side of the hole.......piers will cost 20k and up.....not worth it to me. My question is do you guys think I will be okay? The neighbor went down 5 ft with 24 in footings. He was dry when he dug four years ago. Right now is the peak time for irrigation and we've had more moisture this year than ever. The neighbor hasn't experienced any water or settling problems. One house in the neighborhood did do piers but that's it


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Imagine how much it will cost if you don't install them then end up needing them.


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## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

And your permit was approved by Mickey & Co? If you have any inkling of anything outside of the norm get an engineer to review.

Sounds like your a day late and a dollar short


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

ken2736 said:


> Yes the footings are poured.......there is moisture about 20 inches up the side of the hole.......piers will cost 20k and up.....not worth it to me. My question is do you guys think I will be okay? The neighbor went down 5 ft with 24 in footings. He was dry when he dug four years ago. Right now is the peak time for irrigation and we've had more moisture this year than ever. The neighbor hasn't experienced any water or settling problems. One house in the neighborhood did do piers but that's it


This is a moot point but did you get the lot perk tested? The neighbors lot doesnt really give you a good indicator about what you should do because groundwater isnt the same in any given area unless its a huge aquifer. Like it was mentioned, it might be time to involve an engineer. Start looking into drainage and basement waterproofing solutions (after you pour) so that you are prepared when water DOES come in. Hydrostatic pressure guarantees that it will and water gushing into your basement after a big thaw or storm is no picnic!


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

You should do a soil test it's only a few hundred dollars and especially you doing this for yourself. 
24" footing should be sufficient with rebar in addition you can add 6" of 3/4 clean stone, then again I don't know how soft the soil is and test should be done to make sure.
With a seasonal high water table your basement floor elevation should be 12" min above the water table.

Good luck


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Indoor pool!


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Wow, we've done how many in the past 30 yrs where you dig and the next day there is 6" of water in the hole. Mason's need to pump to pour footers. We just did one a few weeks ago. Had to pump to install footer drain and stone and had to pump to backfill. As long as you have a properly installed footer drain, you will have no problems.


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## jmacd (Jul 14, 2009)

The last one we excavated was wet. We ended up pumping water 24/7 until it was backfilled. 

Install a well point, and pump. The finished product should include 6" min drain tile, rigid pipe not rolls of pipe, inside and out to daylight. The backfill should be washed stone only. You can include a sump in the floor as a second line of defense to work with gravity system. 

Water proof the walls with a very good rubberized spray on product to include sealing the footing to the wall.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I'm interested in how many posts we can have on this thread before the guy's location is revealed.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

cleveman said:


> I'm interested in how many posts we can have on this thread before the guy's location is revealed.


Good point!


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## ken2736 (Aug 14, 2011)

I am located in Billings Montana. Someone mentioned about underground aquifers....can an aquifer vary in depth or height from one neighbor to another? Since the footings are already done, then there isnt much i can do at this point except for footing piping to a sump pump and good waterproofing around the walls. If you hit the water table, do you see pools of water or just moist soil? Being a homeowner I dont understand how soil, water tables, and aquifers work.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

If my memory serves me correctly, isn't there a park in Montana which has some geysers? Have you seen anything shooting out of your hole?

I think you'll do well to have a local yocal look at the jobsite.

Of course the water table can vary by elevation. This is caused by pressure.

As some others have mentioned, your site may not be a problem if you can drain it. They are talking about daylighting some drains. This means running a passive drain system to a lower point. The key word here is lower point. If you are in a hole and there is no lower point in the county, then you can't use a "passive" system. Likewise, if your drain lines plug, then you're in the barney as well.

If you can't use a passive system, then you must rely on electricity and you can probably figure out what will happen next.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

cleveman said:


> .
> 
> Of course the water table can vary by elevation. This is caused by pressure.
> 
> ...


Good points...listen to this.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

ken2736 said:


> I am located in Billings Montana. Someone mentioned about underground aquifers....can an aquifer vary in depth or height from one neighbor to another? Since the footings are already done, then there isnt much i can do at this point except for footing piping to a sump pump and good waterproofing around the walls. If you hit the water table, do you see pools of water or just moist soil? Being a homeowner I dont understand how soil, water tables, and aquifers work.


Think of an aquifer like an underground stream or pond/lake. Bodies of water on the surface vary just like underground ones. The difference is that the confining layer (soil above the underground water) can change the depth and shape of the underground aquifer by shifting around. So yes, it can vary from neighbor to neighbor depending on the confining layer above the water.

The solutions that you mentioned are all anyone can do when dealing with groundwater...unless you build somewhere else.


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