Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 Feb 15, 2011 8:23 pm Hi, I just signed my building contract today, have been told that due to the soil type (Clay) of my land, I should put concrete around the house to ensure the soil under slab won't be washed away (by rain ... etc) Can anyone tell me whether it is common practice to do so? Thanks Re: Is concrete around the house required? 2Feb 16, 2011 4:50 am Thats a new one on me I'm on clay and have got garden beds against 70% of my external walls. Might make a difference on dispersive clays on a sloping site. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Is concrete around the house required? 3Feb 16, 2011 7:17 am I've never heard it spelt out so clearly, but it's common practice in some parts of the world and some people do it here too without much thinking. One of the reasons is to prevent huge changes in soil moisture right next to the slab. Clay swells badly when wet and then shrinks very badly when dry. This all "helps" to keep the house moving all the time and therefore you'll see cracking etc. It is common to see older houses where some doors won't close after long wet weather and then they suddenly work again after a long dry weather. It's all due to the clay breathing - the effect of which obviously gets transferred to the house itself via the footings. I keep looking at people's landscaping right around the slab and am always surprised to see the lack of concreting all around the slab ... BUT ( ) have decided not to have it right around the house as in our case one corner would be dry anyway as the soil slopes away from the house, leaving it dry anyway. My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Is concrete around the house required? 4Feb 16, 2011 7:51 am This is standard practice in SA, especially with brick houses -I thought was to reduce cracking too. I guess thats why its not so neccesary on weather board houses. We have 1m perimeter paths around all our house - was included in house/land package anyway. Re: Is concrete around the house required? 6Feb 16, 2011 10:49 am When I moved into my house I was given a brochure which outlined how best to "take care" of the slab. From what I remember it suggested using a number of different techniques (including concreting, pebbles and garden beds with small shrubs) around the house. The only thing it strongly recommended against was planting large trees (with invasive roots) close to the slab. From memory it was a publication from the HIA or another such organisation... if I manage to find it at home I can give you more information. Re: Is concrete around the house required? 8Feb 16, 2011 1:47 pm From memory, it's called something like 'Guide to Home Owners on Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance'. Usually part of builder's handover package. Used to be able to download it. Has some good general info, but in the end, it is up to each owner to evaluate their site & house and work out what is the best for their house&site (taking into consideration soil type, levels etc.). In regards to planting - only small plants close to the house, progressively moving onto larger plants as the distance increases - quite common sense; ... and similar things like that. So not very practical IMO, just a reminder of how serious this can be and a starting point for investigation/action. Doesn't (and can't) go into detail. Reader needs to be able to understand/translate each sentence correctly into their own circumstances - and that needs a certain level of knowledge of the subject and good understanding. My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Is concrete around the house required? 9Feb 16, 2011 3:07 pm Helyn This is standard practice in SA, especially with brick houses -I thought was to reduce cracking too. I guess thats why its not so neccesary on weather board houses. We have 1m perimeter paths around all our house - was included in house/land package anyway. +1 we are as well. We are on clay, on an acre and it will help with the mud being right up against the house in winter (I hope.) Re: Is concrete around the house required? 10Feb 19, 2011 2:03 pm found this from csiro website Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance: A Homeowner's Guide http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/3612.htm free to download.. Oxford 22 @ Stage12a Point Cook Site Cut : 05/03/2010 Slab Pour : 24/03/2010 Frame Inspected : 06/04/2010 Pre-plaster Inspection: 22/04/2010 PCI: 16/07/2010 Final Inspection: 30/07/2010 Landscaping: who knows??? MyHomeoneThread Our Oxford22 Blog Re: Is concrete around the house required? 12Feb 21, 2011 7:27 pm airly Hi, I just signed my building contract today, have been told that due to the soil type (Clay) of my land, I should put concrete around the house to ensure the soil under slab won't be washed away (by rain ... etc) Can anyone tell me whether it is common practice to do so? Thanks We've been told the same thing ... we've also been told not to have gardens/rock beds up against the house due to poor draining soil (clay). Whether we had to or not, we were going to have a path around the perimeter of the home out to the eave - so a 1/2 metre concrete path all around the house. We paved around the perimeter of our old place, but this time we'll concrete. It's great if you want to get around the house without getting wet feet when it's been raining, a good path for the kids to ride their scooters/bikes and the dog loves it when the grass is wet as she's a princess and doesn't appreciate wet paws. ~ trying to build our dream home by the sea ~ Re: Is concrete around the house required? 13May 27, 2011 10:25 pm Is it common practice to concrete around the alfresco, when it is a part of the house slab? I would like to deck my alfresco concrete but am thinking converting around the alfresco will make the decking look not as appealing? Re: Is concrete around the house required? 14May 28, 2011 8:55 am B STAR Actually this opposite to what builders preach. It is often understood that landscaping is best around the house to prevent the ground from under the slab to dry out. I am going to have to take back what I said. The comment are accurate with raft slabs however for waffle slabs they prefer concrete around the slab to prevent erosion as the slab is just siting on ground level. Re: Is concrete around the house required? 18Mar 07, 2018 9:30 am draco76 found this from csiro website Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance: A Homeowner's Guide http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/3612.htm free to download.. Do not use this guide it is extremely outdated and the fall levels on concrete are now incorrect. Unfortunately it appears many volume builders give this Foundation Maintenance guide to homeowners even though it is now incorrect. It was written before the BCA. The writer of the CSIRO document has said stick with the National Construction Code. https://www.abcb.gov.au/Resources/Publi ... th-the-NCC Grab a hose, insert it at the top of the inlet/down pipe and turn the water on and see where the water is escaping from. Then you'll know. 3 8489 You’re on the right track, wire brush in a grinder then a zinc rich epoxy primer then a top coat of some sort, like a waterproofing membrane. Raising the concrete would… 1 7035 Thanks for the photos. You need to know whether the inflow or the overflow pipe is leaking and this is a simple process of elimination. INFLOW: The vertical riser… 4 4683 |