Laying a new foundation

M

Maximus152

Registered User
Messages
173
Hi I am not a builder or pretend to be also not afraid of hard work but having the know how is a different issue. I have space to the side of my house (a footpath and some grass space running parallel to it) I want to fill in the grass area which runs along the concrete path (why this was never done before is another issue). I have dug down aprrox 1 foot. My question is this. I may at some stage make it into a office, play room what ever! do I need when laying the foundation to put in any plastic membranes? there is a garden wall on one side of the new pour and the existing concrete on the other so do I need any special attention to the large garden wall. I am thinking off even going above the existing path to level it with inside house floor level again is this going to cause a issue with dampness. Any advice appreciated apologies if I use wrong terminology.....if it was electrics I would be okay:)

Maximus
 
I can't understand your post but I think the gist of it is

  • you want to dig out a grass area to the side of your house to a depth of about 1 foot
  • there is a garden wall to one side of this area
  • there is a concrete path on the other side of this area
  • you wish to join the existing concrete path with the newly dug area by pouring concrete into the newly dug area
You intention seems to be eventually to build on this as an extension to the house.

Your questions are about foundations, heights, membranes, damp proofing.
 
My reading is that there is a path running along the side of the house. Between this path and the boundary wall, there is a strip of grass. OP wants to fill in this grass area with concrete now, but at some point in the future may wish to extend the house over this area.

So question is, is it worthwhile doing this job now and putting in the foundations, DPM, etc. as if he were building the extension, or would it be more cost effective to just put in a regular concrete slab that would have to be dug up again should the OP decide to extend.

My guess is that going down the full foundation and floor slab route is overkill, and may not meen your needs if /when it comes to extending, but there are others here far more qualified than me in this area.
Leo
 
My understanding is as Leo's.

I also think it would be overkill to pour foundations without having drawings for what may or may not eventually go in there, not to mind planning permission.

Under no circumstances should the OP pour the new slab to match the existing floor level of the house as this will lead to damp ingression. Without having dimensions its hard to give an idea of cost but it doesn't sound like a huge area from the post so it probably makes more sense to pour a 4 or 5 inch slab for now and re-visit in future should you decide to go ahead with the extension.
 
Mathepac,Leo and Baldyman thank you for the clear explanations I did not make. Yes you are all rite. Simply! as leo says I want to fill this grass area in, I would like to build a half decent room/area therefore I assume I need to damp proof floor. Now I will pour concrete on top of existing path to raise its level to the internal house floor level, but a neighbour told me if i do that then it may be a issue with regard to dampness how I am not sure. Baldyman you seem to agree, why will it cause ingression, if so what can I do to pevent, perhaps I will just make a footpath :).

Maximus
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top