concrete pilings

[Bob F]

Greetings, folks,

I am hoping to build pilings to suport a small (12 X 24) outbuilding.

I bought a pallet of regular concrete block and ordered mortar mix to lay the block with. A certain home center store sent Concrete mix instead.

Here is my question: Can I pour a small footing, then set two blocks on top, then set two more blocks on top of that (rotated 90 degrees) and just pour concrete mix into the holes?

Any better suggestions? I need to make at least 4 pilings and may make

4 or 8 more.

Someone else is going to actually build the building, but I want to prepare the pilings. I like the look of the raised building and I think it will be better off all around. It will be built on skids.

Thanks from this new member.

Bob F

[mnmike]

You would be better off using a 10" or 12" sono tube. You could even reinforce it more with some rebar in the center of the tube.

[mnmike]

You might want to talk with your builder to see what he prefers to put his building on.

[Tony Hwang]

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, I thought pile means something driven into ground(like wood post). Talking about concrete, I'd drill(dig) a hole at certain depth and use Sono tube or such to pour the concrete.

[Bob F]

Thanks,

I have the block, so I wanted to use it if possible. I am presently going back and forth with the builder. I think they are used to building on one un-anchored block or directly on the ground and I was hoping to get a little more elevation.

The sonotubes sound cool, though. My worry with the block is that the concrete might be incompatible with the block and might expand at a different rate, causing trouble down the road.

Thanks again.

[marson]

so how about getting some mortar mix, mortaring the blocks together, and then filling the cores with the concrete. throw a piece of rebar in it. what gives you the strength is the reinforced concrete in the core. it's done all the time, though on a larger scale.

[Bob F]

Thanks,

Since originally posting, I have been reading about concrete construction techniques. I honestly didn't know that concrete is often poured into the holes- I never had the opportunity to look. I am going to do exactly what you suggested and will probably spend my memorial day swatting mosquitoes with a trowel and the following night trying to get concrete/mortar out of my thinning hair. Call me stupid, but I am now at least better informed and stupid.

[Rudy]

Sonotube should still have a footing underneath, not just dropped into a hole in the ground. I haven"t seen anywhere in this thread where the depth of the footing was discussed..how deep is the frost line where he's building/ what type is the soil..undisturbed? backfill ? expansive TX clay ?

If the bldg is simply built on skids, why not just put it on the ground ? If making 'pilings', how do the 'skids' just sit suspended above, atop the "pilings"?