Around here they keyway without rebar connection is common if the basement floor is poured above the footings against the walls and that the wall is backfilled on the outside.

I agree that a few comments in the thread are talking about completely different things. Those footings likely have rebar in them. What they don't have is rebar sticking out the top to tie into the yet to be poured wall.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
If it was my house, I would consider ripping out the poured footing and redoing it to a higher standard.

If it started off with shitty enough footings to the point I had to rip them out and start over, I'd be finding a different contractor.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Around here they keyway without rebar connection is common if the basement floor is poured above the footings against the walls and that the wall is backfilled on the outside.

I agree that a few comments in the thread are talking about completely different things. Those footings likely have rebar in them. What they don't have is rebar sticking out the top to tie into the yet to be poured wall.

Met the builder today. I am happy to say that the guy we bought the house from is the builder and he was there backfilling the footings with gravel. I had a long talk with him. He seems to know his stuff. He's well respected in the area, old Finnish builder family.

Anyhow, there is plenty of rebar inside the footings. There are a few rebar rods coming out of the footings at corners, that I could not see in the pictures.

The forms were delivered for the foundation today. He will be pouring foundation on Monday. It is all to be backfilled. The footings are just about ground level now.

He said that the keyhole is all that's needed for a house this size (as Arc had mentioned also). He also explained the process for the foundation pouring and curing, including the addition of more calcium and heaters to help with the cure. So all in all I think I'm pretty satisfied based on what I've heard here and from the builder.

Oh he also went over the drainage plan and explained a lot of how we will have a nice dry basement. He literally took 1/2 hour out of working to talk to us. I'm pretty happy to see that the guy selling the house is the guy actually building it.

Forms delivered?

Is he using the styrofoam ones?

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Forms delivered?

Is he using the styrofoam ones?

LOL. I’m no builder so no idea what they are called. Just the wood panels that they put up to pour concrete between.

Do they peel them off or do they stay on?

I like the traditional system of lumber or plywood forms. Usually coated with diesel. Peeled off after cured.
Now many systems used and left on after concrete poured.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Do they peel them off or do they stay on?

I like the traditional system of lumber or plywood forms. Usually coated with diesel. Peeled off after cured.
Now many systems used and left on after concrete poured.

Yeah these are the traditional wood ones I see at building sites all the time. They are removed after.

Given the slope and geography, I would recommend some type of curtain drain. The driveway directs water to the garage- potential for large amounts of run off water. For what it costs now- put basement drainage in now.
If the site is Mass- with that climate- I would go beyond minimum code and reinforce or overbuild.

Just curious, what residential building code is required in your area? By default ACI (American Concrete Institute) will be what other codes are based on for concrete design. Also, many areas of the country do NOT use “current” building codes. Some may be many generations old. This s is due because they have the be adopted by Govt agencies and laws changed.

MA is on the 2015 IRC/IBC.

While buliding code can vary somewhat, it's less and less likely as time marches on. I'd be interested as to where in the US applied code was "generations" old."

More likely is a city or town to not require a permit for certain things. I also imagine it's easy to build without a permit in some areas.

The code is driven primarilly by insurance companies, then the code council, fire safety council, then the ADA people, then the insulation/air sealing stuff, and then any state/local addendums. I'm sure I've left some books out. Not counting the seperate electrical, plumbing, gas, and hvac codes.

As of now we've got a big stack of books. Every year they add something.