Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
stumps to length you will need a circular saw with a minimum cut depth of 50 mm,
string line and a level as per concrete stump installation.
Establish the correct height the stumps are to finish and mark this position on the
stumps. Use a square to mark a pencil line around the stump, as it will be necessary to cut
the stump from two sides, as the cut depth of standard circular saws is insufficient to cut
the stump in one go. Cut the external corner stumps at the position marked. Ensure that
the cut stumps are level with one another. Fix a string line to the top outer edge of the
stumps around the perimeter of the house. Using the string line as a guide, mark the
intermediate stumps with a pencil, using a square to transfer the position of the string
line onto the stump (see Figure 3.4).
Figure 3.4
String line to ascertain the cut off point of timber stumps
Height limits for stumps and stump bracing
When do stumps have to be braced? The building code has guidelines for the height that
a stump is permitted to be above ground level. If you multiply the width of the smallest
face or the least diameter of the stump by 12, this will give you the maximum height
of the stump to protrude above ground level without bracing. In this application there
must be a minimum of 30 per cent of the stump embedded into the ground. If the
calculation of the depth of 30 per cent is less than that specified on the soil report, the
soil report recommendations take precedence. When the portion of the stump above
ground level is greater than this, but not greater than 15 times the smallest face or least
diameter of the stump it is permissible to brace the stumps without engineering
calculations. It would be best to speak to your consultant or a carpenter to ascertain the
requirements for your particular house. Obviously, once the 15-times rule is exceeded
you will need to have an engineer calculate the stumps and bracing details to suit your
property.
