Certified Remodeler

Module 8: Site Planning

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Module 8: Site Planning

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Module 8: Site Planning

This section of the Study Guide will review the following issues related to
site planning: regulations, easements, contours, drainage, excavation,
plantings, walks, and driveways. While less important for the remodeling
contractor than for the large developers, site planning is still the necessary
first step in the remodeling process that involves additions to existing
structures.
The references below should be used to prepare for this section of the
exam:
International Residual Code: One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, current
Edition, International Code Council, Inc. Falls Church Virginia, chapter 4,
foundations, and other chapters such as plumbing and fuel supply systems
where reference is made to connections to the site.

Glossary

Contour Line – Line of constant elevation on a contour map.

Covenant – Local restrictions of particular building characteristics.
Easement – Prohibition against construction on parts of building sites,
often to permit service to utility lines.
Flood Plain – Area determined by local jurisdiction to be subject to
restrictions of minimum elevations for habitable spaces and utilities.
Soil Classification – Description of soil by measurement of grain size.
Zoning – Regulation of the use and density of a site.

Site Checklist
The contractor should develop a site checklist so that necessary
information regarding the site is available in planning and construction.
The checklist should include:
Legal

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• legal ownership of the property

• boundaries of the site, as determined from plats or surveys
• zoning restrictions, including setbacks
• easements, which are unbuildable areas of the site covenants
(prohibitions of varied kinds)
• location of the flood plain
• historic district requirements
Physical
• contours of the site
• drainage patterns
ƒ surface
ƒ subsurface
• soil type
ƒ rock may require blasting
ƒ organic soils may not have sufficient bearing strength
ƒ some clays may require preventive measures against
expansion
• soil percolation (with septic tanks)
• solar orientation and shading
• prevailing winds
• temperature ranges
Vegetation
• indigenous materials
• trees and shrubs
• ground cover
Utilities
• water
• sewage or septic
• electricity

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• gas
• telephone
• cable television
Miscellaneous
• locations of buried elements such as cisterns, septic tanks, field tiles,
etc.
• vehicle access
It is the responsibility of the contractor to verify all of the above information
as it regards the job.

Legal requirements
The contractor should verify the locations of lot lines. This is especially
important when planning additions where the building dimensions may
encroach upon easements and setbacks. Information regarding
easements and setbacks is available from local zoning and building
officials. Contractors should be aware of the zoning requirements,
especially where renovations involve a change in use of the building.
Flood-prone areas have special requirements. Federal and local officials
have instituted a number of programs to encourage or force residents of
flood-prone areas to keep all utilities and habitable areas above the Flood
Protection Elevation. (The Flood Protection Elevation [FPE] is determined
locally from the 100-year Base Flood Elevation, as determined from water
surveys.) These programs often take the form of insurance provisions to
homeowners, denying flood insurance coverage to homeowners with
habitable areas below the FPE.
Covenants and historic district requirements can govern many factors of
the exterior aspect of buildings, from height limits and proportions to colors
and building materials.
Soils

The contractor should become familiar with the soil in the region of his
work. The soil on which foundations must bear should be relatively

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incompressible and should be workable. The nature of the soil affects the
likelihood of frost heave and damage from expansion of the soil material.
However, even knowledge of soils may not help the contractor to foresee
the likelihood of subsidence or slope deformation. Soils that must be used
for septic drainage should be highly permeable.
Soils are classified by the size of the grains of soil and by plasticity. The
grain size classification includes gravels, sand, fines (silts and clays) and
organic material. Soils with a high content of sands and gravels are
generally acceptable soils for bearing foundations because they are
relatively incompressible. Silt is fine soil with little cohesion; some silts
even resemble flour. Clays are fines that are cohesive and plastic. Silts
may wash out from around foundations if drainage patterns permit water
movement in the soil. Silty soil is very susceptible to frost heaving. Clays
may expand and contract if the moisture content is allowed to swing
between wet and dry, deforming the foundation. Silts and clays may be
acceptable foundation soils if their moisture content is controlled. Organic
material in soils can usually be detected by odor (especially if the soil
sample is heated) and sometimes by color. Soils that are high in organic
material are not suitable for building foundations.
The acceptability of soils for septic tank drainage is determined by
percolation tests (perk tests), usually conducted by county agencies. Soils
with high clay content may not be sufficiently permeable to allow the
effluent from septic tanks to drain into the soil.

Excavation

The contractor will be responsible for the laying out of the building or
addition and the foundation excavation. Elevations can be established
using a transit or builder's level. Locating batter boards at the corners of
the excavation is a typical method used for laying out the excavation on the
site.
Most excavations must be taken down to the local frost depth. It is
important, where possible, to excavate only down to the depth of the
bottom of the footing. The maximum bearing pressure for any soil is when

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it has been undisturbed. Filled areas may require the addition and tamping
of soil in small lifts and then testing for bearing capacity.
In general, topsoil should be saved at an appropriate location near the
excavation; it can be reused as the final layer of backfill.
Excavations must be backfilled in lifts of 6” or so to minimize the effects of
settling and to consolidate the fill. Even well-tamped backfills can settle up
to 5% of their depth; therefore, it is important to provide sufficient fill to
guarantee that, after settlement, a positive slope away from the foundation
will still occur. The minimum slope required by IRC for soil after settlement
is 6” in 10’. A great amount of damage occurs where water is allowed to
collect in the soil against the foundation wall.

Site Developments

Wherever site developments such as sidewalks or driveways are subject to

water and frost action, a gravel base is recommended. The gravel base
serves as a channel for the gravity movement of water so that it cannot
collect beneath concrete or asphalt. If water is allowed to collect during
cold weather, the surface can be subject to frost heaving. The standard
thickness for concrete sidewalks and driveways is 5", but this thickness can
be reduced to 3 ½” wherever a 5" gravel base is used.
Concrete will expand and contract with changes in temperature. Therefore,
a control joint is recommended where the slab comes in contact with a
garage slab, curb, public sidewalk, or every 20 ft. For sidewalks, control
joints occur so that the distance between them is equal to the width of the
walk. Control joints are usually tooled into stiff but workable concrete so
that the edges of the joint are somewhat rounded. Reinforcing, usually in
the form of welded wire fabric, can be used to reduce the likelihood of
concrete cracking; the reinforcing should be kept at least 1 ½” away from
the top and bottom surfaces of the slab. A brush finish can provide extra
traction to sidewalk surfaces.

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Discussion Questions

1. Why should the contractor be concerned with legal requirements

regarding use of the site?
2. How can you tell if the soil has sufficient bearing capacity?
3. Why is site drainage important?
4. How can landscaping affect the performance of the house?

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Sample Questions
1. The minimum depth of footings is determined by:
a. building load
b. type of construction
c. footing material
d. frost line

2. How much foundation material (minimum) should be exposed above

the finished grade in veneer construction?
a. 2 inches
b. 4 inches
c. 6 inches
d. The top of the foundation may be flush with finish grade.

3. A survey of the owner's property will help determine:

a. Type of soil
b. Municipal sewer or septic location
c. Location of electric power lines
d. Size of lot

4. When may rain, surface, or subsurface water be allowed to discharge

into a public sewer system?
a. In times of extreme rainfall.
b. When no other outlet is available.
c. a and b above.
d. Under no conditions.

5. The test used to determine the absorption capacity of soil is called a

_____.
a. soil boring test
b. piezometer test
c. percolation test
d. soil classification test

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6. A septic tank must be located at least ______ ft. away from any
buildings or structures.
a. 2
b. 5
c. 10
d. 25

7. The determination of use and density of a site is called _______.

a. zoning
b. easements
c. setback
d. floor area ratio

8. Contour lines can be found on a(n) ______.

a. geologic survey map
b. plat
c. topographic map
d. aerial survey

9. Which soil type is very poor as a foundation material?

a. gravel-sand
b. silt
c. silty clay
d. organic soil

10. Driveways should always drain water ________.

a. to the side
b. toward the road
c. away from the house
d. within 1 hour

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Explanatory Notes
It is true that the prime responsibility for compliance with zoning
requirements lies with the owner. However, an error on the owner's part
may result in anything from an inconvenience to a major loss for the
contractor. The contractor must include a site plan for most building permit
applications where an addition or extension of the existing building is
planned, and the contractor is responsible for the reliability of the
information he submits. Applying for a building permit may reveal violations
of ordinances in the plan. However, local ordinances may be overlooked
by the building inspector as well. A builder will have a hard time getting
paid for a building that cannot be completed.
Most regions have local or county agents who are equipped to provide soil
classification information to builders. These agents can also indicate if the
region variability is so great that soil borings would be called for. A
geotechnical engineer can determine the actual bearing strength of soils,
usually from test borings. The contractor who is building an extension or
addition to an existing house may assume that soil conditions for the
addition do not differ significantly from the soil conditions for the existing
building. The contractor then should inspect the existing foundation for
settlement, cracking, bulging or other forms of displacement or distortion. If
the existing foundation is sound, then it may be safe to assume that a
similarly designed footing can carry similar loads.
Undrained areas on the site where water is permitted to stand can be
breeding grounds for insects and lower forms of plant life. High moisture
content in the soil can have a destructive influence on foundations. For
one thing, foundations are seldom waterproof, and water pressure in the
soil may force water through masonry materials into the interior. For
another, in areas with active clays, variations in moisture content of the soil
can cause varying pressures against foundation walls. In cold climates,
high moisture content in the soil can lead to excessive frost heaving of
walks, driveways, and parts of the buildings. Also, water running against
the foundation can begin to run beneath footings and weaken or undermine
the soil bearing.

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Landscaping is very important for the visual enhancement of the site. In

addition to that, a well-landscaped site can reduce the heating and cooling
requirements of the building. The contractor should identify the north-south
direction and be able to trace the approximate sun path in both summer
and winter. Trees to the south can greatly reduce the summer cooling
load, particularly of glazed rooms. If these shading trees are deciduous,
they may still permit ample sunlight in the wintertime. Coniferous trees
toward the prevailing wintertime winds can reduce the chilling effect of high
winds against the house by acting as windbreaks.

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