hey all
this is a wood sub floor----with crawl space below----cant find anything in code check to tell me if this finished basement frames should be floating--both pictures are the same flooring--ones painted fancy---it's sunday so cant call code department--thanks
charlie

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I'm not sure what you mean by "floating". Can you elaborate more on that? Why do you consider it a basement if there is a crawl space below it?

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Jim Robinson
New Mexico, USA

jim
i have a lower level---basement sub floor----wood =with access to a crawl space--access panel with humidifier-thermostat controlled fan below----my finished basement walls are framed to wood floor and are not floating {walls or framing} for adjustment for settling movement----should they be floating ----on concrete i know yes--but what about wood sub floors

Scratching my head with the same questions Jim has.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

Charlie, most of the ones I see up here are not floating. The ones I see down in Colorado Springs, most are floating due to the more expansive soil there. I think it most likely depends on the soils report from that lot.


Floating walls are used here because of the expansive soil and the slabs heaving in differant weather conditions. The first one I saw it was like what the he88 is that. Sorry I dont have a pic, but basically there is a plate on the basement floor fastened, and another plate about 4"-6" higher secured with a long spike. The drywall is not attached to the bottom plate, it is attached to the higher plate. A wide molding is typically used, attached to the bottom plate so the wall can "float up and down" Weird, but it works without destroying the drywall, door frames etc.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

Charlie, didnt notice the part about the wood floor. If anything needed to float I assume it would be at the foundation, and Ive never seen that. Only seen floating walls with a slab.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

hey paul

thanks----most of the time with poured slabs--they are floating because of the settling threat---but was wondering about the wood sub floor---over the crawl space---dont know how to report it--yeah our soil sucks here---cant remember seeing it before---maybe will wait to call the permit code folks tomorrow----thanks for knowing what i was talking about
thanks
charlie

Those of you that think we are nuts here it is or google floating walls.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

thats what i thought too----floating slab walls but not on wood---i'll see what the code folks say
thanks

thanks paul i was looking for that on google---sometimes the southern guys dont deal with basements or crawl spaces---but thats what this web is for---sharing our region conditions---life is learning everyday
charlie

Paul, Charlie,

???????

I'm looking at that drawing Paul posted and I don't see what is "floating"?

The walls are attached to the "foundation wall" (at least that is what it says) and that foundation wall extends down to the top of the "concrete floor slab" (which runs *under* the "foundation wall" ...

Okay, there is 3" of space to allow for movement of the slab, but ... ????

How to heck is the slab to move upward when the foundation wall is resting on the slab???

Now, I could see the need for that *IF* the concrete floor slab was floating "within" (not under) the foundation walls.

__________________
Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

jerry
that photo is alittle misleading---there really is a spike that goes from the upper 2x4 into the lower 2x4---which gives the upper wall a little floating so when the slab heaves or moves--the upper wall doesn't rise and crack everything above it---i will look for a better photo---but it works around here---stay tuned---but i'm taking the rest of the day off
charlie

Jerry you are right, that picture is misleading. In order for that to work the slab would have to end at the foundation wall.

Normally what I see is the slab, and the exterior wall is wood frame. The other thing not in that picture is the spikes I referred to. Picture about a 6" spike driven into the bottom plate, the gap, about 4" and the top of the spike not being driven all the way into the upper plate. The spike head is a couple inches above that second plate. Thus the slab can heave up and down and the wall doesnt move because the bottom plate is sliding up and down on the spikes. Next one I see I will post a picture.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

Thanks.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

That's wild. I'm not that far away from you, and I've never heard of that before. Our soil doesn't move much, so I guess that's why. It reminds me of some log houses that I've seen and the special things they had to do to prepare for the logs settling in after construction. At least that was all in one direction. That must create a few issues for the builders.

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Jim Robinson
New Mexico, USA

Still trying to get my head around it. So even if you have a basement slab, it would move up and down that much? I can kind of picture it on a slab on grade setup, but with a whole house sitting on a foundation wall six feet below grade, it still moves a few inches each year? That seems crazy. Glad I don't have to deal with that.

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Jim Robinson
New Mexico, USA

jim
thats why we are all on the web--it's great isn't it----even old marines like me learn something everyday----either paul or i will post a better picture at our next inspection--chow
charlie

What I'm still trying to figure out is why would you also need to "float it" at the top plate too?

If the framing is attached to the foundation wall, the wall should not be floating in relation to the framing above, which is setting on, or otherwise attached to, the foundation wall.

The slab, "floating within" the foundation walls, on expansive soils, yeah, there will be some movement ... but ... 3"-4" of movement? WOW!

__________________
Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

jerry

welcome to the rocky mountains---either the earth below our 14,000 ft peaks sunk--or their arising--go rockies
charlie

Boy I wish I had a picture, all the ones on the web are not like we are talking about. Jerry disregard it being attached to an exterior foundation wall. Also Jerry when I said top plate I am referring to the plate 4" above the slab plate, not THE upper top plate at the top of the wall. Jim the footer, and foundation dont really move (here it could be block, or most likely a poured wall.) It is more the interior footprint of the basement. I suppose the reason for that is with a large slab, a little bit of soil movement is going to be transferred to a large piece of concrete. Also if their is a post in the basement, it is on its own pier foundation so if the floor heaves it does not move the post. There is also issues with gas piping, and solid copper plumbing because they dont like to move. When you see a picture you will say oh ok I get it now.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com