Structural Rebar Connections
Hello, everyone. I’m Caleb with Dansie Design Build. Today, I wanted to talk to you about something important when you’re doing a walkout entry in Eagle Mountain or Herriman, Utah. It’s about the footing and rebar foundation connection between the house and the addition that you’re doing. This applies to walkout entries or additions you’re building onto your home.
How does it work?
Pieces of rebar metal inside the foundation wall are used to tie into the existing concrete foundation wall. The same idea goes for the rebar in footings. A third-party inspector must inspect those connections as a safety requirement to ensure they are installed correctly. So there’s a process that you have to do to make sure that the epoxy can grab onto the existing wall as it cures.
A Quick Overview of Working Space
We are currently in this excavation hole we’ve dug for the walkout entry we’re building. The slope in front of us is where the basement walkout stairs come down. A foundation wall is formed on the right side, and the rebar steel grid is installed. As you come around, this is where the walkout turns that concrete wall and then connects to the existing one.
You can see where we’ve drilled these holes and installed the rebar in concrete.
Drilled Holes Cleaning
To ensure the connection is secure and correct, blow that out with an air compressor and then brush it with a nylon brush. (I’ll show you what those nylon brushes look like here in a second.)
Rebar Installation
You have to have the correct depth, which is six inches. After that, install the epoxy and correctly place all the structural rebar for concrete in suitable locations. We’ve also got two more rebars installed in the footing, which already has the concrete, so you can’t see those anymore. As mentioned, this needs to be done in Eagle Mountain or Herriman by a third-party inspector to verify that these are correct.
What Is a Nylon Brush?
It’s like a pipe cleaner with rigid nylon bristles and a little handle on the other side. All you need to do is put it in the hole and pull it out. The motion scrubs the concrete powder out of the hole we just drilled and leaves it clean, which is very important.
Anchoring Systems Guide
I printed out a table from Simpson Strong-Tie, which can guide you about the anchoring systems. It states that for the #4 rebar, which is a half-inch rebar, you need to drill a 5/8-inch hole at least six inches deep. Then, you end up with a bond strength of 19,360. It means each of those rebars will be able to hold a pulling force of more than 19,000 pounds, which is crazy. So that’s how the foundation gets tied into the existing one.
Final Thoughts
Following this process makes it secure, safe, and good to go forever; we use it while doing the headers and cleaning out those holes.
If you need help building an addition, remodeling your home, or drawing basement walkout house plans, you can request a project consultation with us. Thanks, and have a great day. Bye.
