Love to hear it! I make these videos on the fly during construction. Maybe I'll be able to slow down and get some more details/better videos. Congrats on the good pour!! Dave

I've built over a hundred homes from the ground up, plus numerous foundations, etc..and STILL learn tons every time I do a new job!! If we aren't learning every day, something isn't right....

Glass Menagerie --- I'm old and retired but I built a lot of this type of construction. There is always something to learn on each house/project.....and we all learn by doing (aka experience). Concrete form work was a lot of fun for me as you never knew what the next forming job would be like and I enjoyed the variety. Good luck in your career!

Well, thank you!!!

Bless u dear

Great tip!

Thanks for the visit

Me too dear

Slab-on-grade used to be the "poor man's" foundation, but with the engineering standards, etc., the cost is not very different. A lot of slabs are now "post tension". Ask anyone who's had to jack hammer into a slab to repair plumbing if they would prefer it to a raised foundation. There's also a different feel and warmth to a raised wood floor......

You Bet! hope there are a few tips to help forming...! Dave

send any questions! dave

Dave Osland when putting the form ties on do you screw them on or nail those? Or just rely on the wedges to hold them in place? I figured nails or screws would possibly get in the way when stacking the 2x

Dave Osland also I’m in Michigan so in my city of livonia I have to go 42” from grade with footing. How many rows of rebar will I need?

So your footings are 42" in the earth??? Not knowing what codes you use, I would have to assume your plans call it out. In general, a minimum of two horizontal rebar 3" off the bottom of the footing is standard, with a single horizontal run every 18" as you go up in a stem wall. Out yonder here in Calif., we are usually adding vertical bar also, say, every 18" or so, extending from the top runs down to and hooking under the bottom runs. The engineering requirements generally are more than the minimum code requires. If I understand, you have a 42" deep footing, I would probably consider pouring only the required footing depth, say, 15"?, and then use concrete block, like a opened ended speed block, to come up to stem wall height. Someone who builds out there may have some more insight than I do to your particular situation- Dave

Use the wedges supplied by the form tie maker, that's all you need. Be sure and use an 1/8" spacer between form board runs, to allow the insert of the tie. If not, you'll have to drop a saw blade in a lot of spots for the tie.

Glad you got something out of it! Raised stem walls are less common now, but I appreciate the access to plumbing, etc, and the feel and warmth of a raised wood floor. With increased costs of concrete slab foundations due to design/engineering, etc. the stem wall foundation is a competitively priced construction method, especially when the forms can be reused for another foundation or incorporated into the structure.- Dave

You're correct on the need for the crawl space. The 18' high stem wall creates the space without having to excavate a below grade area. I prefer this over the excavated method, to have the home sitting above adjoining grade to allow for sloped finish grade and to eliminate potential water/moisture infiltration into a lowered grade area.- Dave

a 2x 10 is still 9.5" here in Cal.. Framing lumber is still green Doug fir, not kiln dried like elsewhere....

I just went next-door where they finished pouring a slab last week. Mostly only 2x6 material there sitting around. But one 2x8 treated. It measured out a wee bit less than 7 1/4. There was an old carpenter unloading stuff at the time here on Sunday morning. He looked toward me with that, 'What do you want on my lot' expression. So I explained the story. Right then he assured me that they are all 1/2, this coming 60 seconds after my measuring his own board and finding different. Then I looked online at maybe 3 sites to verify. See link below for one of them. Seems like I win the bar discussion thus far. Old carpenters who are far better at their trade than my couple years as a trainee framer and some time as a finish carpenter are apparently unaware of this weird matter done in the lumber industry for whatever reason. You owe me a beer (maybe). www.thesprucecrafts.com/understanding-wood-sizes-in-softwood-lumber-3536905

Let me understand this- Your stem wall will be 16" thick and 6' high off the footing??? That would hold up a bank. I've done 6' high stem walls, but 8" wide is rated for 2 stories. Anyway, unless you can reuse the form lumber in the frame, I would use concrete block for the stemwall, but again, if it really is 16" thick, a plywood formed wall using whalers is another method used.

Hello David. Yes you are correct. From the bottom of the footing approx 36" inches down from grade extending out of the ground 36" above grade to reach 1.5 feet higher than BFE of 36 feet above sea level for my area. The footing/stem wall plans were drawn originally 12 inches wide by the engineer who is confident about it being enough support but both concrete 'guides' that I interviewed stated how difficult it would be to run 14 #5 rebar in such a tight area. After some discussion with them and the engineer I voted to make the width 4 inches wider to 16 inches. The cost of the concrete is not that much more for the speed to do what needs to get done. A rough calc has it about $5k more. One reason why so massive is the peak of the roof is 36 feet high, building is all steel AND the entire second story is (lightweight) concrete flooring 3-4 inches thick. So yes, in a way will hold up a bank but I stayed during Katrina and I plan to stay again in a much stronger domicile. For kicks I will be happy to send you the drawings. It borders commercial grade. In the meantime I will look up 'plywood formed wall using whalers'. Thank you for the lead.

and i thought i built burly......

@@davidosland1440 LOL

SDS screrws?? Thats expense when you use hundreds/thousands in a foundation. The drywall screws won't (usually) split the form stakes... But I love SDS screws for structural applications!

I'm not sure what you mean by "organized system".. The exposed concrete after the house is done can be left as is, painted to the ground or even veneered with stucco stone, brick, etc... Dave

Good luck

Thanks! It sure makes the subfloor frame easier.....

Hi Larry- I'm trying to visualize exactly what you are asking here... A foundation as in the video, can be done, everything level, with no step up or downs. Obviously, the stem wall will be higher as the site elevation drops. A complete perimeter foundation, 16" wide, with a concrete slab floor spanning the interior section? If I'm understanding, I would pour an 8 " wide stem wall as in the video, and form 16"x16" wide pilasters where each post will sit. You'll want a significant drift pin or other way to anchor the posts in place. Dave

2x Douglas Fir will be used in the framing of the subfloor. I have a video on subfloor framing showing this... Dave

Yes absolutely

Good question! The footing mud needs to stiffen up for a while to prevent the pressure from the stem wall mud blowing the footing out and allowing the stem mud to billow down into the footing... I'll bring the mud up to the bottom of the stem wall with the 1st truck (generally 9 yards). By the time the 2nd truck arrives and we start pumping, the concrete where we 1st started has set up enough to allow the 2nd lift to top off the stem wall without blowing out... Dave

@@daveosland3199 Do you vibrate the concrete?

@@lumberjackdreamer6267 We use different methods to "settle" the concrete.- Can be as simple as tapping the forms with a hammer, often using a 1x2 stake to rod the mud, or in places that are tight or suspect, quickly plunging a vibrator into the mud. Notice the word quickly- a few seconds too long can send the concrete billowing out of the bottom of the forms....

@@daveosland3199 Thanks. I have been using a vibrator on sono tube piers (dug with auger, 48” deep by 10” wide). I kept with vibrator for a long time, maybe too long? But my mud was also maybe too thick, didn’t flow well. It’s my first time doing concrete.

@@daveosland3199 Your videos are very informative. Thanks.

Hey, Hank! if 45 degree "kickers" (diagonal braces) are placed every 3-4', on both sides of the forms, movement should be nil.. Dave

Sorry for the late reply- As soon as the footing is poured to the bottom of the formed stem wall, you can generally go back to the starting point of the pour and top off the stem, as the concrete has had several minutes to stiffen up enough to support the wet mud in the stem forms. Dave

Thanks!

Good question! Kickers should be on both sides, so as to resist movement from both sides or directions. Dave

Yea, someone is making some $$$. I would think about using concrete block now ( i posted a video on the plan details for that). As for the form boards, I always try to design the house so as to use the form boards in the floor framing. You're going to have to spend the bucks on them any way or pour a concrete floor/slab foundation. Concrete ain't cheap anymore either-Dave

dis foo 😂 I thought you spun around

Ayy I had the same question, maybe Dave can help us

The footing is formed by the trench itself- no form boards. I use an 18" bucket for a 15" footing (2 story) or 12" bucket for a single story, unless plans dictate other wise. The footing is pumped up to the bottom of the stem wall, so as to seal it for the wetter mix going into the stem wall. Usually by the time the footing is poured, the stem can be started on the first poured areas where the footing was started. I try to pour the footing on the stiff side so as to prevent blow-outs when using the wetter mud in the stem. You can generally start pumping the stems 20-30 minutes after the footings have been poured. You don't want to wait very long as having formed stakes anchored in a solid footing is no fun! After everything is poured and striked off, I go around with a hose and spray off everything I can so i have relatively clean lumber to put back into the subfloor in a couple of days. (i have a video showing the sub-floor being installed just a couple of days after the pour with the forming material.) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/at59hsihldvNgqc.html Designing most of the homes we build, I plan on subfloor joisting that is compatable with the form material. It never has to leave the job and is a very cost efficient design/build technique- Dave

Hi Ertugrul- Here in the U.S., though we import some woods, we also have many forests. Thank you for watching the video! Dave

They'll be in the framed sub floor rim. you can see them on my "sub floor framing" video... Dave

Hi Ryan- Like they say, more than 1 way to skin a cat... A monolith pour 20" off grade is a lot of form/fill work to get that high in one shot. Myself, I would pour a 12" x 12" footing- code minimum for a single story building, either incorporating the stem wall as a monolith pour, OR pour the 12x12" footing with #4 rebar sticking up every, say 24"o.c., followed by a 8-8-16 CMU block (I love "speedblock" which requires no end buttering with mortar) stem wall. Once the block is concrete filled/poured, back fill the garage area with compactible fill, lay a grid of rebar and pour the slab. I recently posted this design after questions just about this method- This is a way to get an elevated slab. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b81zbKWo3LzOn2g.html You can also get a glimpse of the monolith poured footing/stemwall followed by back fill and a slab in another posted build- minute 1:50 on- kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fMiJpaqS1L2tlZc.html Let us know what you end up doing! Dave

@@daveosland3199 thank you. 4th guy came today. 30 years of experience, and wants to pour the slab with a 6"x6" thickened edge so 10" overall, with rebar sticking up, and lateral 1/2 reinforcement, then come back and pour the wall which will be formed on top of the slab. Second guy to recommend that, so think that we'll do that.

@@QuickFamily8144 Sounds good! Dave

Is there a way to protect against wall seeping where the slab and separately poured stem wall meet?

@@QuickFamily8144 Hi Ryan If the slab is elevated to 20" above the footing, it shouldn't be an issue. When pouring 20 foot high concrete tanks, we've sandblasted between 4' lifts to ensure a clean bonding surface to prevent leakage, but that would be unnecessary in your case. Dave

Hi "John"- Depends on the soil and your engineer. I've done em' both. The pier and grade beam type has been more money. One less subcontractor/supplier to wait on- the rebar supplier that forms and ties the spiral cages, etc..The engineers I've used go crazy with the amount of rebar. I'm sure you found ways to streamline the process if you did them repeatedly! Dave

Good question! Yep!! Done it numerous times. If I do one in the future, I'll post a video of it! Dave

Vertical rebar is tied with pre-made 6" wire ties (they come in rolls of 500). The vertical ties have a short bend on the bottoms, which are tied to the bottom member as well as being tied to the horizontal runs. See the set up in this video- kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b81zbKWo3LzOn2g.html On a sloped lot, the footings are cut in steps as well as the forms stepped up the lot. Start the pour at the lowest point and pour the footings, to be followed by topping off the stem walls after all the footings are poured. There's usually enough time to prevent the stem wall mud from blowing out the footings when poured 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes later after the footings are poured ... Dave

Eres muy sexy

Super

we do vibrate, hammer tap the forms and vertically rod the mud. Only so much is shown on the video, as I'm busy on the pour and not trying to make a "groomed" video...Dave

The abs for plumbing is installed after the subfloor has been framed. See my subfloor framing vid here- kzfaq.info/get/bejne/at59hsihldvNgqc.html I always put a section of 4" ABS in the stem wall to pass the waste line thru and out of the house... Dave

The foundation vents are put in the wooden subfloor framing- easy-peasy. Should you need to put the vents in the concrete itself, I like to uses a CMU (concrete block), lay it on it's side, leaving it open from inside to outside and then install durable screening to prevent critter infiltration!! See my video on subfloors... Dave

Sorry for the delayed response! Cutting a groove sounds ugly. You might consider drilling into, cleaning and epoxying vertical rebar dowels at say16"o.c. and forming. The dowels will anchor the stem to the existing concrete. They make nifty double barrel epoxy guns and tubes!

Hi Adam- Tough question! Generally, the forms are not hung below grade, because of access to fastening. The best i could think of is to use a 2x12 to extend down below grade, but have the top edge close enough to the trench lip to get a screw into the top edge to hold it. on other foundations where I've had to go below grade, I've used a concrete block stem wall rather than wood forms..

Concrete starts"curing" the minute it's poured. in warmer weather it can set hard in a short time. Learning how to "read" the setting/curing time comes with experience. There's a relatively short period in which concrete can be "worked"- troweled smooth, necessary stakes pulled, etc.. Concrete poured in Hoover Dam decades ago is still curing!!- slowly getting harder with age!! Most concrete is considered to have reached it's "working" strength in 28 days after pouring.. Dave

@@daveosland3199 Wow that's crazy!!! thx for the info!!!

The Golden State

Really good dear

Code section 404 shows up to 9' tall with a 12" thickness, but every application can be different and often engineering is required on walls much less than that depending on each circumstance. For the past several years nearly any project I've done (in bureaucratic California) required engineering.

@@daveosland3199 yes I'm in northern California someone told me 6 feet without engineering then just build a 4 foot pony wall on top of that. This is for a daylight basement foundation. Thanks for getting back

Good question. Unless it's a design issue, I would try a monolith slab pour. if your on a sloped area, a slab-on-grade would be more difficult.... Dave

David Osland thankyou for the quick response and info.

Good question! We'll use as much as possible in the subfloor framing, joisting, rafters ,blocking etc... I've a subfloor framing video showing the reuse of the form boards.. Dave kzfaq.info/get/bejne/at59hsihldvNgqc.html

Good question! i like raised wood floors (stem wall foundation)- Easy access to underfloor plumbing/mechanical for servicing/remodeling, can insulate (warm floors), can be less moisture infiltration as can happen thru concrete slabs. Traditionally, slab construction has been cheaper than stem walls, but the additional engineering in modern slabs seems to make it a wash in many circumstances...

Hi Jeff- A stiffer mix is used to fill the footings up to the bottom of the stem forms- say a 4" slump? But a 3/8" pea gravel mix will settle different than a 1/2"or 3/4"- Anyway, a stiff but pumpable mix is used first, then wet it up some so the mud leaves little or no voids in the visible stem wall sticking up out of the ground. Running a vibrator or tapping the forms with a hammer is good practice. Nothing like a smooth clean surface when you strip those forms!! If a wetter mix is used first, you stand the chance of the mud blowing out of the bottom of the stem portion. I'll often put plates down the next day, but you might want to wait a day or two in cold weather, as concrete cures very slowly at low temps.... Dave

Rightly said

Good question!! Around $15/sq.ft. but that can widely vary depending on layout, lot slope, engineering, etc...

@@daveosland3199 thank you, if you dont mind, is it 15 x total of house sq ft or wall

@@patriccrigler7981 1500 sq ft home x15$/ft- But there are so many variables that can effect cost... People always ask- "So you're a contractor- How much does a house cost per sq. ft"? I answer- "Are you talking a Ford Escort or a Mercedes 500SL???"

Yep, 12x12" for a single story,15x15" 2 story and 18x18" 3 story footings, unless soils reports dictate otherwise. 6", 8" stem wall thickness for 1 and 2 story, generally. With so much engineering nowadays, we get all manner of foundations. Pre-stressed slabs seem to be gaining popularity as a way to avoid "engineering" of the soils- excavation/recompaction in lifts, importing soils, etc... Unless your up in the high elevations, heaving soils due to "frost line" isn't a worry, hence shallower footings. Basements? Almost unheard of round' here!! Dave

Oops! Brain Fart!! 2 story is 15" wide x 18 deep. 3 story is 23" min. width. Although footing depths will vary, it is curious that in many cases only a 6" concrete footing thickness may be required at the bottom of those depths (as opposed to filling the whole footing with concrete)! Where it gets crazy is the amount of steel that can be required. The latest plans I've worked on include 5"x5" plate "washers"on the mud sill!!! Dave

it's a 2 story- 1500' conditioned space + the garage....

"Concrete waits for no man" The vertical stakes would be locked in place if the pour was dragged out, with this method. Other forming methods might allow for staged pours- Concrete block, ply forms with snap ties, etc...

@@daveosland3199 Actually this video is super misleading stem wall and monolithic are TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT types of slabs...... Stem wall foundations are very much done in TWO pours.

Usually by the time the footing is poured (usually 30-45 minutes) you just continue on up with the stem walls.

@@daveosland3199 Thanks for the great video Mr Osland. I'm curious though, and maybe I missed the reason why,.but you didn't need to form up a footing. You just let it flow out the bottom when you pour the stem wall? (I ask because I'd rather do that than form a footing for my 24'x24' cabin tin the PNW.)

@@regw8322 The walls of the dug footing themselves are the "form"....

@@regw8322 Yep- It just flows into the footing, and then up into the formed stem wall. The trench (18x18") forms the footing- no need for any forming. Generally hang the stem wall boards about even or a couple of inches below/into the footing trench.

You're right! The soil there was extremely well drained sandy loam, and no need for any drainage. Finish grade is sloped away from foundation to eliminate any pooling adjacent to the house-

A finish grade is done after the foundation is complete, generally a 2-5% grade away from the foundation, usually for at least 5'. Since I generally don't excavate on the interior area, and we aren't in clay, no drainage is needed below the foundation or structure.- Dave

A 26" gore?? I've laid out smaller ones on paper for templates, but you probably can lay it out on a 4x sheet of metal. I like a dry erase pen for easy cleaning up of mistakes when laying out... Let us know what worked for you- Dave

Yes, attached garage w/ 2 story house. Dave

Good learn more here

As soon as possible! As soon as the forms have been topped off and screened, I usually start pulling! It gets really ugly if you wait too long....

So you rely on the form ties to hold the shape of the stem wall ... the stakes are only to locate the form. Will the voids left by the stakes fill themselves or do you have to fill them individually?

Yep, the form ties and lumber hold the concrete in place. We don't fill the 1x2 voids left by the stakes, the backfill grading against the stem wall takes care of that.

Not very long, usually just after we top and screed the stem. A couple of hours, tops.You can't wait too long or you'll have to break off the stakes rather than pull them.....

At first I thought what the heck why use a screw gun but the way you guys did it actually was nice to learn :) Out of curiosity how do you guys charge someone to do a job like this? Is it done by the sqft of the foot print of the structure or outer surface area of the walls?

Costs vary on site, layout complexity, engineering involved, etc.. There's no set formula I've found you can accurately get out of a book... Dave

@@daveosland3199 They asked how much you charged for THIS job though. You can def tell us how much you charged for THIS JOB... I'm betting around 10-12k..