all TRADA Technology Timber frame construction SL 2 Foundations 2.1 Design requirements ‘Timber frame superstructures can be exected fom elimost any wpe of foun dation, Building Yegulations requite foundations tobe of sufficient depth and Constructed 60 as to sustain and transmit to the ground the combined dead dnd Imposed load in such e manner thet the totai or differential settlement ofthe building will not impatr the stability of, or cause damage to, the whole | or any part of the building. BS 8004 Code of practice for foundations includes information on design and. | construction for the normal range of buildings. “The most common types of foundation used are conventional stip footings or wench fil. Other types which have been usod include reinforced concrete I qalts, short bored piles and ground beams, conciete pads with ground bears | and fully pre-cast systems | ‘Timber frame constructed with lightweight cladding rather than masonry: can allow considerable economies to be made in the design of foundations, ‘especially on ground with low bearing capacity. For example, the approxi- | mate load of a two storey timber-clad timber fraroe house supporting helf the | ‘upper floor and helf the roof load is likely to be in the region of 10 to 20 KN per metre nun. A similar two storey superstructure with brick cladding would have a linear load of approximately 20 to 36 KIN per metre run In addition to meeting the Design Requirements, the successful completion ‘and quality of the timber freme building is dependent. on good on-site practice in terms of accuracy In setting out and erecting components. Guidance is given in Appendix 3. 2.2 Sequence and setting out Foundation design for timber trae ballélngs should be considered in Tpopoot of the sequence of consiruction as this difers eigniicantly fom masonry constuction / neo using petabricted pases dell these shoud be daivead to ste 0 that they can be placed into theit final position with the minimum of handling and storage. This requires the foundations (and ground floor bases when other than timber ground floors are used) to be completed prior to i Gelivery of the timber frame components. Manufactured components, when assembled to fom wall elements and/or floor cassettes, require the base i dimensions to be accurate in length and to be square and level; the wide variations common in masonry construction cannot be accepted without incurring extra time and cost. However, the effort made at this stage is important because an uninterrupted work flow to achieve a weathertight i shell can then be assured, 4 When brick cladding is wo be used, the cavity dimension below the dpe should be nominal 50 mm, plus the thickness of the sheathing. 32[ It is recommended that the foundation brickwork for the outer cladding is not completed up to dpc level until after the timber sole plate is instalied ‘This will allow minor discrepancies in the foundation to be corrected to ensure a cavity dimension of 50 mm can be maintained above sole plate level 2.3 Strip foundations Concrete stip foundations should not normally be less than 160 mm thick and should project at least 150 mm either side of the foundation wall ‘The foundations should be located centrally below the foundation wall as shown in Figure 21. Although the minimum width could be less than 600 mam, thie is often impracticable since bricklayers find it difficult to work: in trenches narrower than this. Stip foundations may stop in level to suit ground contou:s but the minimum overlap should not be less than elther twice the height of the step or the thickness of the foundation, or 200 mm, whichever is greater. Unteinforced concrete strip foundations should not be used on made-up ground, or ground with wide variation in types of aubeoi] below the load- bearing level, as these could impair the stability of the structure. je— Cavity width 50 rn meg ~<|i Bloor cadcng insuaton fen inn Co om fd ~~ Sand blinding Vented and drsined ace, [Nf Sree Spee on coon Const ope” 2omm nal eany mah Figure 2.6 Accessible threshold with ramped access, screeded floor Noma! Soran cay with \j Cover plate Zn no 29 Max 150m, | C2089 vapour contol ax Sm ioe Insulation —Damp proof membrane ‘ ‘Conccete beam block oor / 25° Fem min 1 Vented and drained Space. 4 i (180mm rin im Sender, (Open end for clearing ee rae a a pe mateial ‘Bfash beyone orzontalépe | 201m nomi! cay with Figure 2.7 Accessible threshold with ramped access, flosting floor 39TTRADA Technology Timber frame construction — Siuctural wall ater renee fh P SH Baton fixed to timber frame studs; insulation i i iL CHa mes = Seen > i and structural wall) Lowest timber | Net gue ne bee cla eI \ et q 4 q q ope | Gaps In construction shown to ilustrate membrane laps Figure 2.8 Concrote kerb for accessible threshold 2.10 Proximity to trees Building on sites close to existing healthy 20s, or where new planting is proposed, should be carefully examined in relation to foundation damage. ‘BRE Digest 298 Low-rise building foundations: the influence of trees in clay soils and the housing warranty and guarantee authorities offer guidance on Duillding near trees with advice on distances from named trees and precau- tions that should be taken, Care should also be taken if building on sites which have recently been cleared of established trees, particularly in shrinkable clay areas, when ground heave could cause serious problems. 2.11 Basements Uinber frame superstructures can be constructed over basements or semni- basements and this is common practice in North America and Scandinavia, ‘The floor between the basement storey and the ground floor may be either of timber or concrete construction depending upon the structurel design of 1@ basement, Full 30 minutes fire resistance is requized for this floor even when modified 30 minutes fire resistance is allowable for the floor between {ground and first floor level. Loadbearing walls at ground floor level should be supported at basement level by loadbearing walls or beams. If the basement is of masonry or in situ concrete construction, loadbearing internal walls in 40the basement need to take differential movement into consideration Loadbearing internal walls could be masonry or the number of horizontal timbers below the joists could be equal to avoid problems of differential movernent, A Building Regulations England and Wales Approved Document Basernents for dvvellings is published by the British Cement Association and the National House-Building Council In North America it is allowable to construct basements of ested timber and these are Included in the building codes. In the UK the use of timber basement structures would need to be discussed with the building control authority to establish their accaptability. 4a 2 Foundations