Hi,
I have recently laid foundations for a new dwelling. My house was passed for finishing the exterior with natural stone. The guy i used to draw plans for the house advised that 600mm foundations would allow for this. I have recently read that when laying dense concrete blocks on a foundation the trench/concrete should be twice as wide as the width of the block to be used. I have also been advised by stonemasons that the 600mm foundations are sufficient, however they suggest that i use an 18" by 9" block and turn it on its side therefore meaning the wall would be 18" wide. My concern with this is that it means an 18" block would be resting on a 24" wide footing. What would you think about this? I obviously want to ensure the building is structurally sound. I am aware that this would leave the trench tight for brickie, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with it (In reality trench is probably 26" wide overall despite being dug with 2 foot digger bucket). Please note i am also planning on using prestressed flooring at ground floor level on top of these walls.
I have recently laid foundations for a new dwelling. My house was passed for finishing the exterior with natural stone. The guy i used to draw plans for the house advised that 600mm foundations would allow for this. I have recently read that when laying dense concrete blocks on a foundation the trench/concrete should be twice as wide as the width of the block to be used. I have also been advised by stonemasons that the 600mm foundations are sufficient, however they suggest that i use an 18" by 9" block and turn it on its side therefore meaning the wall would be 18" wide. My concern with this is that it means an 18" block would be resting on a 24" wide footing. What would you think about this? I obviously want to ensure the building is structurally sound. I am aware that this would leave the trench tight for brickie, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with it (In reality trench is probably 26" wide overall despite being dug with 2 foot digger bucket). Please note i am also planning on using prestressed flooring at ground floor level on top of these walls.
