Pre-cast Concrete Foundations
Effective January 1st 2005 all pre-cast concrete foundations for residential construction in the centre region must be submitted as plans signed and sealed by a registered Pennsylvania design Professional. On the plans the design professional must specifically address the following details:
- Maximum pounds per liner foot on foundation
- Maximum pounds and location of point loads
- Total load on each column in pounds
- Location of shear walls and details on construction [if no shear walls are required specify that in notes]
- Depth of crushed stone under wall panels and column footers [assume 2000 psf soil bearing]
- Type of backfill and height against the wall
By providing the specific information listed above from a registered Pennsylvania design professional along with the installation guide the building inspector and contractor will be assured that all loads imposed on the foundation have been taken into consideration. Pre-cast foundations are engineered products and their use is limited to the criteria to which they are designed. The engineering that Centre Region Code has accepted in the past was not taking into account the specific criteria of each project.