Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Basic configuration of a timber floor
The basic configuration of a timber floor is as follows. Holes are dug into the ground.
Placed in the bottom of the holes are the sole plates. Stumps are seated into the ground
on the sole plates. On the stumps are the bearers. On the bearers are the floor joists. On
the floor joists is the floor.
Stump holes
Stump locations on your schedule
If you have employed a consultant to write a construction schedule or to produce a
material list you should have a plan detailing the required position of each stump hole,
their theoretical depth and diameter. This schedule should also have details of the soil
type required in the bottom of the hole. If you do not have this detail it can be found
within the documents that form your building permit.
Stump positions not on your schedule
When the required position details for the stumps are not supplied on a stump layout
schedule you will need to establish them. First you need to find the cross section of your
house which is part of the drawings that form part of your building permit. This cross
section should have details on the diameter of the stump holes, the sole plates and the
stumps to be used on the job. You will also need to refer to the soil report to ascertain the
likely depth of the stump holes and a description of the soil type that is to be found at the
bottom of the stump hole. If the recommended depth of stump hole does not uncover
the soil type described in the soil report you will need to dig down until it is found. If the
soil type is found prior to getting to the full depth of the hole recommended you still
have to dig to that depth.
On a number of occasions when digging stump holes I have struck shale or rock that
cannot be penetrated to the recommended depth. If this occurs it is not the end of the
world. Contact your engineer to establish how to overcome the problem. There are a
number of solutions to this problem so do not be concerned. If you are unable to contact
the engineer at the time of digging, contact your consultant. If you are unable to contact
the consultant, dig each hole as deep as possible and then move onto the next hole.
If you have a stump hole plan you simply refer to it to ascertain the positions of the
stump holes. If not you will again need to refer to the details on your building permit.
Bearer locations
As the bearers are fitted directly onto the top of the stumps, the position of the bearers
will determine the location of the rows of stumps. You first have to discover the direction
of the bearers. This information will be found on the cross section drawing on your
plans. Next you need to ascertain the distance between the rows of bearers, as this is the
same as the distance between the rows of stumps. This information may or may not be
on the cross section drawing, however it will be detailed in the timber specification
section. In the timber specification schedule it will probably look something like this:
Bearers 100 × 75 F8 OBHW @ 1.8 crs
The term bearer refers to the timber that is fitted directly to the top of the stump.
100 × 75 refers to the dimensions of the timber to be used.
