What is Foundation Drainage?

October 13 / Stacey / Comments (0)

ALMOST ALL homes and accessory structures that are near or in a flood zone have flood vents. There is nothing anyone can do about the weather except plan for its intensity. There are several ways to help prevent flooding from destroying a home, garage or accessory structure. Any basement or crawlspace must have a drainage system. Any property within 10’ of a waterway, storm drain, storm conveyance system or property that is compromised will be mandated, to have flood-prevention products installed.

Flood vents are one commonly used in construction projects. There are other products and applications that are used to help prevent flooding. French drains are made with gravel or crushed stone and accompanied by a filter mechanism to assist in drainage. Some properties have drainage problems due to the topography of the property even though they are not near any water source or conveyance system. There is more than erecting a garage or other structure than just the structure itself.

There are a host of applications that address drainage issues. Drain tiles, check dams, inlets, vapor barriers, sand, parging techniques and trenches are all used in a number of different situations. Some properties require some of or all of these, in different combinations. Each property and construction project is unique in some way. An experienced builder should know to properly address all drainage issues and develop a plan that will protect the garage or other structure from flooding.

Lateral displacement of any column, pier or girder is a risk that must be addressed when building the foundation of a garage or home. When earth is saturated with water and that water has force, the foundation’s integrity can be affected negatively. Any new construction building is also built to let water out, once it gets in. Flood vents are designed to let water that has infiltrated a structure out. You would think, wow, why aren’t homes, garages and accessory structures built air-tight so that no water can ever get inside. This is because the foundation itself is at risk of blow out from the force of the water.

An exceptional building contractor will have additional training with regard to erosion and settlement control. Most building contractors do not have formal training regarding earth protection and its effect on a structure. This training is just as important as knowing how to properly construct any structure.

Call H.W. Enterprises, Inc. at 757-595-4562 or 757-696-1927 to discuss your building project AND address your properties characteristics. The owner is a State Certified Erosion and Settlement Control INSPECTOR. We don’t work for the State of VA; we work for YOU and your property’s needs. Visit us at: www.hwenterprisesinc.com. We will be happy to sit down with you, evaluate your property’s characteristics and develop a successful building plan.

Difference between fire-blocking vs. draft-stopping in garage construction.

October 12 / Stacey / Comments (0)

Fire is one of man’s most formidable adversaries. How many thousands of people are burned out of their homes? Many of those fires start in the accessory buildings on the property, like garages or storage buildings. An experienced Building Contractor is intimately aware of the building requirements to prevent the spread of fire. An experienced Building Contractor implements those requirements out of habit and responsibility without cutting corners.

It is an enormous task of the local Building Officials to properly enforce compliance. There are specific and implied fire-resistant building requirements for garages, accessory and storage buildings. Some Building Contractors are focused on building at the minimum required guideline with complete disregard for the potentially fatal consequences of complacency. When it comes to fire, responsible building is a must. It doesn’t matter if the building is made of steel. Disregard of fire-resistant construction guidelines is foolish.

A lot of tradesmen perform their duties out of habit. No all workers are schooled or trained other than in the field. And that training is mechanical. If one framer teaches another worker a way to draft-stop or fire-block with short-sight, it can mean the difference between injury and life. While there is little substitute for experience, an educational component can make or break a successful garage project. Knowing building code and WHY it is important is the fore-front of an experienced new construction General Contractor.

What is fire-blocking and what is draft-stopping? According to International Building Code, fire-blocking is required to cut off all concealed draft openings, both vertical and horizontally, to form a fire-barrier between the stories of a garage, home, addition or accessory structure, as well as those in a roof-assembly. Fires need air to grow. By cutting off these spaces, fires are less likely to spread as far or as quickly.

Draft-stopping focuses on the usable space both above and below the concealed space of a floor-ceiling assembly. Draft-stopping guidelines require any space of 1000sf or less be draft-stopped in every garage, home, addition, accessory structure or storage building. Draft-stopping divides the concealed space into equal areas, where the ceilings assembly is enclosed by a floor membrane above and a ceiling membrane below. For example, suspended ceilings.

When you are ready to build your garage, addition or accessory structure, talk with your Building Contractor about fire-resistant building. If he doesn’t use the terms, draft-stopping or fire-blocking, call another Contractor. Call H.W. ENTERPRISES, INC. to discuss your next building project. With over 59 years of experience in building garages, shell homes, barns and additions, H.W. ENTERPRISES, INC. KNOWS BUILDING CODE AND PROVIDES THE QUALITY YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. You and your family deserve nothing less.! Call 757-595-4562 or 757-696-1927 or visit us at www.hwenterprisesinc.com.


 

What are Masonary Walls and how do they work in Garage construction?

October 9 / Stacey / Comments (0)


The design of masonry foundation walls, including concrete stem walls and traditional wood-framing is obviously the beginning of a successful construction project. In certain building projects, floor systems and exterior walls must have reinforcement, utilizing support piers and girders. What does the term masonry walls mean? Masonry is the art of utilizing concrete, block and brick veneers for construction projects. The foundation of a garage, shell home, accessory building or light commercial storage facility is the “make or break” of the project as a whole. Veneers cannot bear any weight other than itself and must be reinforced laterally and horizontally using steel rods. And the reinforcement may also include the construction of piers, masonry walls and girders. And the reinforcement needed is dictated by the amount of weight suspended and distributed throughout the garage, shell home or accessory structure.

In building garages, piers may be required due to slope or the expanse of the footprint of the construction project, either from beneath or laterally for stabilization. In building a garage with intense slope, concrete masonry units (CMU) are used to create a level structure from an otherwise compromised area. Using steel reinforcement rods for masonry walls exceeding 4’ must have steel reinforcement. In some circumstances, especially when building a home or larger accessory structures, the weight of the foundation materials like concrete dictates the need for reinforcement, whether in the foundation, slab or concrete stem walls.

In building a garage that has an uneven amount of masonry units, meaning 9 rows in one corner graduating to 4 rows along the sides, or when the size of the slab is significant, such as a 28×36, not only does the weight of the concrete, the block and brick become a significant consideration, the weight and expanse of the back-fill materials is also a key factor. The weight and expanse of the back-fill can comprise the masonry walls and concrete slab. This is when piers or girders are applicable. In building a large garage, sometimes exterior block piers are created to keep the foundation from blowing out. All earth shifts and moves and any foundation must be able to accommodate that shift without compromising the integrity of the new construction foundation.

These reinforcement applications are unseen when the construction of your garage or other structure is finished and largely are unknown details of the project that a homeowner never knows about. In some instances, block piers and girders are applicable solutions. Structures that have basements are usually reinforced in a number of ways. Call H.W. Enterprises, Inc. for your next building project. We have over 59 years experience and can correctly build any construction project that will last a lifetime. Visit us at: www.hwenterprisesinc.com or call us at 757-595-4562 or 757-696-1927 to schedule a free consultation for your next garage, shell home or light commercial storage facility.