Thread: Levelling the house: Steep slope foundations

Originally Posted by ian

I've been known to be badly wrong on more than one (make that many) occasions

Oh come now ian, don't be so modest. Posts on this thread this afternoon/evening indicate that you are probably correct. And I expect to see a response to this post, we all know how you love to have the last word. And this time you've even got some firm ground to stand on. Apologies to Bernmc.

Originally Posted by aldav

Oh come now ian, don't be so modest.
[snip]
I expect to see a response to this post ...

yes, I was a bit too insistent in the other thread ... I should have known better

Hope this helps, I found a copy of AS1684.2 2010 "Residential Timber Framed Construction - Non Cyclonic Areas" at https://www.renovateforum.com/attach...4/85884.attach

Its worth a read to see what the requirements are for "new" construction and what you may have to upgrade to with renovations / rectification works. Section 9 details "tie down" requirements as either "nominal" or "specific" with the "nominal minimum fixings per joint" requirements to be found at page 169 in Table 9.4.

Having past experience in residential construction in Cyclonic areas means that I'm more familiar with beefier hold down requirements.

Originally Posted by Beardy

What type of construction and State are you referring to and what type of tie down are you referring to?

Domestic Construction,Steel rod, Australian Standards Section 9.

Here, on the river, most houses are built on the bottom of at least a 30 degree slope of ground above, some even more, and ALL of them, without exception, sink down towards the water. The reason? The water that falls on the catchment above the houses, up the hill and on the plateau above, runs down the hill, into the ground and keeps going downhill to the river, generally once it hits the bedrock base it runs on top of that and follows down any soft pockets until it runs into the underground aquifers and into the river. I’ve had excavations down to rock that have had water streaming in through the ground 3 metres down and filling the holes up. I’ve been to bernmc’s house, and the hill above it would certainly have subsurface water runoff during rain events and that water would certainly be capable of underscouring foundations. It’s why most engineers that I deal with here, where there are major geotechnical issues to overcome, want foundations to go down to solid rock, whether it is 300mm down or 5 metres down, not an easy exercise when everything is done by hand, including digging.