Basement construction question - aka is this normal?
I was downstairs and noticed that there's a gap between the concrete pad and the bottom of the exterior walls on the south side of my house. In some cases it's maybe 2 quarters wide, and along the wall in the nook it's actually almost a full half inch.
Is this normal? I'm not familiar with how the outside walls are constructed as the bottom plates of these walls seem to be sitting on some kind of chip board plate.
Here's some pictures. Yes that's coloured sand everywhere; my son has a sandbox downstairs since our yard isn't finished I put a broom handle in the image to give an idea of size. Click each image to get a larger version.
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It would seem to me like it's a gap between the slab and the exterior wall, or possibly the footing is up that high. So having a bit of a gap there to allow for the movement of slab isn't uncommon. But if the footings are at grade, than that is a touch strange in residential. The slab is not part of the structure of the house, and the exterior walls and footings are.
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Yeah that was my question, I don't get what's under the plate. The concrete isn't cut, it's just where the concrete and that wood whatever that's under the plate meet. For these walls no there's no concrete behind the studs, these are the exterior walls of a walkout basement.
As you say Sylvanfan it's like the walls and footings are moving away from the slab.. but if that's the case wouldn't that allow moisture to come up there? The footing would be right underneath I would assume since this is the grade level walls of the walkout basement.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Basement construction question - aka is this normal?
I put a broom handle in the image to give an idea of size. Click each image to get a larger version.
