Morningstar Quality
True craftsmanship is often reflected in details hidden from the home buyer... like structural support for garage slabs.
In the photo to the right, a double car garage is being formed by Sunset Builders using 1-1/8" plywood forms. After the concrete is poured and the forms stripped, this area is backfilled to a height of approximately 7.5' using excavated materials. However with the weight of the cars on the slab, compaction occurs, leading to settlement and cracking of the slab.
To prevent slab settlement and cracking, Morningstar Homes forms and pours two concrete footings 30" x 30" x 10" and two 10" diameter concrete columns, each with two 15mm vertical rebars, the tops of which are embedded into the garage slab. Around the perimeter of the slab, steel dowels are drilled into the concrete walls to support the outside edge of the slab.
Fast-Tube™
Fabric is an excellent method of forming columns to support the center of the garage slab. Fast-Tube™ is:
- Cut to exact length from a 120' roll, eliminates the waste which occurs with 12' carboard tubes
- Undamaged by water, can be set up in advance of the concrete pour
- Fast to set up and fast to strip, saves on labor costs
- Impervious to water, is recycled as an underslab membrane
