FOUNDATION:

                Check with your local Building Inspector as to required foundation specifications for your area and build your foundation precisely as specified by the Tennessee Log Homes’ Foundation Plan and/or your local building code bureau.

                When laying out your footings for your foundation, keep in mind that the foundation size must be exactly equal to the subfloor size.  If you will have brick or stone veneer on the exterior of your foundation, this exterior layer should lie within the subfloor dimensions.  Your footings should be a minimum 10” deep and 20” wide with 2 pieces of 1/2” rebar laid horizontally around the perimeter throughout.  Your local building code bureau may supersede this specification.

                Footings for all piers should be built at this phase of construction.  Locate piers exactly as specified in the Tennessee Log Homes’ Foundation Plan.  These footings should be a minimum of 20” deep and 28” wide with 2 pieces of 1/2” rebar.  Some of these piers will support much of the weight of the second floor system and the roof system and should, therefore, be located precisely as specified.  Proper support of the roof is critical in log home construction (a series of support posts are aligned vertically to bring support from a foundation pier to the subfloor, then up to the second floor, then up to the ridge beam in the roof system).

                If you will have a basement concrete slab, you must still install footers underneath the slab for your support posts to rest upon.  A concrete slab alone will not support the weight carried by the center roof support posts and piers.  Furthermore, if you are using floor trusses for your subfloor, those piers which support the second floor and roof must be installed and support posts used under the first and second floor systems.

                It is best to pour footings at this time for all porch and deck piers.  Again, precisely locate these footings and piers according to your Foundation Plan in the blueprints.

                When laying concrete block foundations, use 12” block below ground and 8” block above ground.  Locate screened vents and hose bibs at your discretion.  Four-inch solid cap blocks should complete the top course of the foundation.  Be certain to construct your foundation so that water in thebasement or crawl space is not a problem.  Standing water under a log home can create problems in the future.  Also, there should be a minimum of 22” clearance from the ground to the bottom of the subfloor joints.

                Most importantly, keep the foundation square and level.  Log homes will not fit on a subfloor which is out of square or level.  If you are having your foundation work done for you, do not fail to check the block mason’s work throughout the block-laying process to be sure the foundation is square and level.  Let him know the importance of having a properly built foundation.

                Building log homes on concrete slabs is not recommended by Tennessee Log Homes.  Slabs allow no room to run the mechanicals of the home and do not elevate the home above ground level.  Log homes can certainly be built on slabs, but such construction will not be discussed herein.