Help Please: Concrete Block House Design

[Nicaragua John]

I am hoping for some basic advice for constructing a small two room house here. Engineering help here is only for huge projects and of dubious quality.

Size: 12' X 24' with a divider wall to end up with two 12' X 12' rooms. One room will have an added wall for a small bathroom.

Foundation: The ground here is very solid with little or no water penetration. 12" X 12" foundation below ground level reinforced with two 1/2" rebar ???

Walls: About 8' to 9' high. Support a fairly light sloped flat roof composed of 2" X 4" beams with nailed corrugated sheet metal roof. 2" X

4"s will be connecter to vertical rebar in walls to provide added lateral support for walls.

Only block available is standard 8" X 8" X 16" with two holes.

Vertical rebar: Single 5/8 rebar in block holes at corners intersections, and window/door openings. 5/8" rebar will extend three feet into ground with poured concrete in 6" diameter holes.

3/8 rebar on 24" centers in the rest of the walls connected to rebar in foundation and top bond beam ???

Horizontal rebar for "bond beams":

1/4" rebar every other course in grout lines. Bond beam at top of openings and continuos poured concrete beam at top of wall 8" width X 4" height reinforced with two 1/2" rebar ???

All rebar holes in block filled with concrete . Should empty holes be filled too ???

All rebar securely tied & interconnected with "standard" methods at foundation, corners, openings, & top of walls for sheer strength.

Is this in the ball park or way off?

Could I get by with less or smaller rebar since it is imported and very expensive?

Thanks!

John

[Michael Bulatovich]

So you resort to anonymous people on the *Usenet* ?

[Bob Morrison]

Send me $4000 and I will design and draw it up.

[GMDuggan]

Here, I'll give you the basics. 12"x16" monoslab foundation w/ 2-#5 rod and 6x6 wwm in a 4" slab. Cmu walls w/ downpours w/ 1-#5 rod 8' o.c. min., all corners, and at least one side of openings. Single course bond beam at top w/ 1-#5 rod. Tie vertical steel to steel in fnd and bond beam by bending an 'L' and splicing next to horiz. steel by min. 24". That's the standard basic in Florida.

Your roof framing is insufficient. You should use 2x8's rafters at 16" o.c. for the flat roof, or 2x6 rafters at 16" o.c. with a 2x8 or 2-2x6 ridgebeam for a roof with a 2.5/12 pitch min.

Good luck with that.

GMDuggan

[bowgus]

You may want doors and windows while you're at it, which will require appropriate headers. And ventilation maybe using existing prevailing breeze. Which may also decide location of doors, windows, vents ... in the block structure. Solar water heating? If so, and it's a reservoir on the roof, even the 2x8 recommended below may not be sufficient. Anyway, just a few things for your consideration ...

[Nicaragua John]

GMDuggan & bowgus - THANKS for the helpful & informative responses!!! BTW - GMDuggan You have a nice info site!

I am working with a non profit group of people here trying to help design a "cheap" luxury house (by Nica standards) since their typical single room "shack" is much smaller. Both of you have helped the poor people in Nicaragua (avg income $1500 USD per year)

I was a PE for 30 years in California but retired 10 years ago and my business was mostly EE on "Big" jobs rather than Civil on a small projects like this. I requested information here because I have learned that advice from "hands on" construction folks is very valuable to us "College boy engineers".

Thanks again for your help!

John

[Nicaragua John]

Thanks but NO thanks Bob.

Your request for $4000 for simple basic advice like this tells it all. Your post demonstrates that there are three ways to describe you: A) You are seriously mentally ill with Delusions of Grandeur B) You are totally incompetent and this job would be difficult for you. C) Both A & B above.

My bet is answer C !

[Matt Whiting]

And what does that make you? A cheapskate troll looking for free work? Just remember the old adage about free advice, you get what you pay for.

Matt

[Nicaragua John]

NO - Read my other response. This work is costing me a lot of money as well as a lot of time to help others.

I realize what you say is sometimes true but NOT always. Lots of people benefit from free charity advice and free charity work without paying anything.

[Matt Whiting]

Your comments to Bob were still uncalled for. Do you know Bob's history with this newsgroup?

Matt

[Nicaragua John]

Matt - No I don't know anything about him and you are 100% right! My comments were uncalled for so I apologize to Bob.

I should have added more details to my original post so I am the one at fault here. Note that a couple of nice guys did help me with information.

His "smart ass" reply to me seemed to be un-professional and uncalled for too but I must have interpreted it wrong.

And your comment that I must be a "A cheapskate troll looking for free work?" was not very kind either. In fact the work here has cost me and others a lot of money and time and the only thing we gain is personal satisfaction.

Anyhow - Thanks for the deserved critique and best wishes for a HAPPY HOLIDAY and good new year!

[Matt Whiting]

Well, that is about the only way I could interpret your response to Bob.

Likewise!

Matt

[Bob Morrison]

Yeah, but you didn't say it was for a charity in your original post. That might have changed my response.

[Michael Bulatovich]

You and a few others....

[Houstonbrick]

replying to GMDuggan, Houstonbrick wrote: A little more CMU info, calculate control joints. Add double rebar on each of your control joints. Be sure to layout walls that can work out halves to reduce cutting and breakage. ,

reply if my post was helpful.