Clay in one corner of 1M footings

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by JamieOne, Mar 1, 2018.

Tags:
  1. JamieOne

    JamieOne New Member

    Hi guys


    in the process of building a small garage in my and as it is under 2.5M, far enough away from the house ect so no planning is required. However i am still building to the local building guidelines ect just in case i want to go bigger in the future. The issue i am having is that i have reached 1M down on 3 of the sides and i have lovely sand and compacted stone perfect for me footings. But on the one corner i have just hit sand and clay and have gone down another 30cm right now. The original plan was to go down 1m, across 50cm and have 60 cm concrete and trench block up to DPC level.

    My question is once i have removed the extra clay soil do i have to dig the other 3 sides of my footing down to the same depth. which could go to 2M or can i remove everything and then fill and compact to that 1m level or step the footing and have a few extra courses on that corner. The annoying thing is it is right on the corner going 60cm each way.

    Any help would be welcome and i have debated asking a question for a long time i just normally see a few people get involve get a little carried away and religiously quote building regs or have an argument. So yeh guys i am grateful for anything i get back.
     
  2. 14th edition

    14th edition Well-Known Member

    Firstly you will need building regs for the garage, it will rear its head when you come to sell! And yes you can step the foundation, i prefer a mass foundation rather than a slab so you dont have to work down a hole bent double.
     
  3. JamieOne

    JamieOne New Member

    Thank you for the quick reply that is awesome i was unsure not that i will be doing much in this snow. I am building to regs but i dont need planning due to size height location ect plus taking pictures ect at every step. I can only really work on it on a sundays due to work joys of buying a house when you have 3 bikes and no garage. i have one in the dining room right now so need to start pushing now.
     
  4. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    its a bit more complicated than just hitting clay - have you got any trees nearby? is the clay prone to heave or not. From memory if no trees around then 1m should be fine but there is a calculator online somewhere that might help
     
  5. JamieOne

    JamieOne New Member

    I have hit a sandy clay that seems stable but the spade will cut right through it easily. I have no trees nearby and the land is sloping by a couple of degrees max. There was a slab on the site before that i pain staking took up 25ft by 12ft 8inchs thick and that had no movement. But i wanted to be safer rather than sorry so even if i waste money filling the extra i have dug out its peace of mind for me.
     
  6. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    There is planning permission and there is building regulation ... and the two are officially and theoretically unrelated. Just because you don't need planning permission to do something doesn't mean you don't need building regulations. No matter how many photos you take, no building inspector is likely to risk his/her career by signing off something that they didn't actually inspect ... or that they only saw in your photos.

    I learned this the hard way after boarding over my entire loft before the insulation was inspected and approved; and my inspector made me remove random boards at his request so he could measure the insulation depth. No amount of promising, photos and persuasion were enough to convince him that I had fitted 250mm insulation throughout; and so I bit the bullet and removed the boards. This was not much fun as they were tongue and groove 22mm chipboard boards that were extremely well fitted with plenty of screws.

    Pay for a private building inspector (as opposed to the council building inspector) to inspect and sign off everything you're doing for the shed, or you will not be able to include the shed in the sale of your house in years to come. In fact I've seen buyers of houses insist that the seller remove such unapproved construction from the property before they allow the sale to go through. Surely the £200 max that you would have to pay for official sign off is less than the hassle of not doing it?
     
  7. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest


    I'm not sure that buyers are that push - certainly solicitors are but the likely reaction from a vendor is going to be " go away then I'll remarket the house"

    I do however fully agree, just get building reg approval
     
  8. Mr Rusty

    Mr Rusty Screwfix Select

    under 30sqm you probably don't need building regs.

    From the planning portal

    non combustible is traditional block/timber roof/slate/tiles
     
  9. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    What if they want to turn it into a granny flat or a student accommodation a few years down the line?
     
  10. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    Then you would first seek planning permission( as permitted development does not ordinarily cover that type of development) and building reg approval. If under 30sqm it is unlikely to be approved as a seperate dwelling on size.
     
  11. mrppp

    mrppp Active Member

    The footings on my extension hit a clay band and in places stepped down to 2m before gravel, BC were happy with the step down
     
  12. JamieOne

    JamieOne New Member

    Right ok i have left this for a week as what i thought would happen i would just get people stating about building regs and planning permission. I said at the start i dont need planning permission where i live for the size and i am following what building regs i need to follow all i would like is a bit of help with my problem anything i get is welcome and i really am grateful.

    I have gone down 1M by 450mm to make a trench fill footing for my 16ftx9ft single skin 7nm block garage that is under 2.5M. I am hoping to fill up 600mm of concrete as it will save me laying too many course in the trench although extra cost. So the top right corner of my footing about if you imagine a set square going out 1m across and 500mm length L shape basically, i hit a clay. the other 3 sides and 95% of my footing is level and on stone shale really hard to get through and at least 6 inch deep. But this one corner i hit a sandy clay and just dont know where to go, do i dig everything done 2m deep or just the corner. PS no trees within any of the local gardens so no worry there.


    I am just looking to make a small motorbike garage with power ect all built how it should eg cutting no corners. sorry if the start sounded negative its just half the posts on here seem to shoot people down before anyone knows the situation.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice