# Rebar for Bigfoot footers



## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

My engineer spec'd normal footers and then sonotubes for my deck build. I am going to be using bigfoot and sonotubes to do a mono pour instead. I will be using a combination of 36" and 28" bigfoots. 

How do I go about creating the rebar structure inside the bigfoot/sonotube structure?

I will be sinking Column Caps in the top of these posts. Can I make the vertical part of the rebar short enough so it does not interfere with the Column Caps?


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Good time to tell the Mrs. you just have to have, that new welder now and a 4 in. side grinder with 1/8" metal cut off wheels. .


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Changing an engineers plan is not a good idea with out talking to him.
Put your vertical rebar in wet concrete no closer than 2" from the sides the bottom and the top. 
The rebar is there to spread the load out over the foot print of the footing and as the bigfoot is tapered it may not be as important but the square inches of the bottom area may be. I would talk to the engineer.


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> Good time to tell the Mrs. you just have to have, that new welder now and a 4 in. side grinder with 1/8" metal cut off wheels. .


I would love to have those tools but would not know how to use them.





Nealtw said:


> Changing an engineers plan is not a good idea with out talking to him.
> Put your vertical rebar in wet concrete no closer than 2" from the sides the bottom and the top.
> The rebar is there to spread the load out over the foot print of the footing and as the bigfoot is tapered it may not be as important but the square inches of the bottom area may be. I would talk to the engineer.


I did pay the engineer to redesign the footers, his redesign only went as far as numbers and placement of the columns. I am now just waiting for the approval from the planning department.

His original plans on the drawing were for normal footers and sonotubes.

I am hoping for a foundation crew to help me out but the one guy I thought could do it has yet to come to check out the project yet, so I am on my own for this bigfoot portion of this.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

I concur, not a good idea to change the plans.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Where I live you would get inspections before the concrete is poured the city only needs to see that the engineer signed off on what you have. either by comparing what you have to the engineered plan or having the engineer on site and pass as built.


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

I would think the engineer would want something like this maybe for rebar in the BF ??


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*greg's probably right but so are the others,,, what's the sidewall height - 8" ? #4 bar should overlapp'd 6" & secured by at least 3 wire ties w/2"between both mats - you need dble mats & it'll be a pita to tuck in 12" rebar pcs *


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

Canarywood1 said:


> I concur, not a good idea to change the plans.


I did not, the engineer did at my request. When I submitted the plans I was unaware of Bigfoots. In the logistic phase of planning this build I realized the bigfoots might save me a lot of money. That's why I paid the engineer some more money.



Nealtw said:


> Where I live you would get inspections before the concrete is poured the city only needs to see that the engineer signed off on what you have. either by comparing what you have to the engineered plan or having the engineer on site and pass as built.


I do need to get it inspected before the pour. That's why I want to come up with a rebar plan before I approach the inspector, so him and I agree on what it should look like so inspection day goes easier.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

It wasn't the big foot but similar type issue.... the engineer called out a 36/36 footer with a horizontal matt of criss-cross rebar sitting on rebar chairs and a cage for the sonotubes coming up.

We had the cages built at a local yard, did the base matt ourselves, supported the sono and cages on the matt, and did it in a single pour (several lifts)


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

This is the drawing from the plans on the original engineering. I am hoping to emulate this type of layout, whatever satisfies the inspector. Tomorrow I will try to contact the bigfoot company to see if they have suggestions.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

*Oh.... you have a drawing....* Have a yard build thase cages (or you can wire it up) and why use a big foot at all.....

(EDIT: matter of fact, with an eng drawing, I would not use a big foot)


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> *Oh.... you have a drawing....* Have a yard build thase cages (or you can wire it up) and why use a big foot at all.....


He wants to do a mono pour and it can be tricky to keep the concrete in the forms while you fill the tube.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Well brace the sono and get the footer in one lift, drop the sono in and then get the sono carefully....... at worse, you'll use a little extra concrete.

The big foot is only containing/limiting the pad size and giving you a place to pin the bottom of the sono.......but if you get the big foot out of position, you can't pin the sono where you want to.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Well brace the sono and get the footer in one lift, drop the sono in and then get the sono carefully....... at worse, you'll use a little extra concrete.


 The weight of the concrete in the tube will push the wet concrete in the footing box up and out. We often do footing first pour the rest of the house and come back to the tubes when the concrete has set up a little in the footing but even then we have had problems.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Nealtw said:


> The weight of the concrete in the tube will push the wet concrete in the footing box up and out. We often do footing first pour the rest of the house and come back to the tubes when the concrete has set up a little in the footing but even then we have had problems.


You're either getting allfully wet slump concrete, pouring allfully fast, not waiting enough on your lifts, or have a very tall sono/pier height.

(Yes... your footer is likely to bulge with some extra concrete leakage, but in 20/30 minutes you'll be getting initial set. Mix the concrete hot if necessary for local conditions.)


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Nealtw said:


> The weight of the concrete in the tube will push the wet concrete in the footing box up and out. We often do footing first pour the rest of the house and come back to the tubes when the concrete has set up a little in the footing but even then we have had problems.


You're either getting allfully wet slump concrete, pouring allfully fast, not waiting enough on your lifts, or have a very tall sono/pier height.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> You're either getting allfully wet slump concrete, pouring allfully fast, not waiting enough on your lifts, or have a very tall sono/pier height.


 
Yes, yes and yes. As wet as we can get it with out screwing the mix pumped as fast as it can be handled and often 10 or 12 ft high.:biggrin2:


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

The problem I was having was I was likely going to need a concrete pump, twice to do this. The plan with the bigfoots was to be able to place them in the ground then backfill then pour. If I can figure it out in the next two days, my excavator is out of town but left his mini backhoe is still on site. If I can get the bigfoot approved and installed he can backfill on Thursday, inspect on Friday. Pour on Monday.

The drawing I included was for the old style footers. Lets hope the people at Bigfoot can suggest an alternative rebar schedule to match the one the engineer's drawings. Reading the Bigfoot instructions it says if metal reinforcement is needed, have it engineered. Lets hope they at least have suggested options so my engineer does not have to reinvent the wheel.

I was hoping to use square footers because they seem to have a lot of advantages, more surface area, and the square shape and accommodation for a rebar schedule. The only problem they are not stocked anywhere and are shipped out of Vermont.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Nealtw said:


> Yes, yes and yes. As wet as we can get it with out screwing the mix pumped as fast as it can be handled and often 10 or 12 ft high.:biggrin2:


Heck NEAL... Ya forgot some retarders.:wink2:

(Ya guys up north work too fast.... don't ya get something to eat between post holes... and what "aboot" nap time.):biggrin2:

I'll bet you and I could pour that for him... with a good driver or good pump truck operator.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Heck NEAL... Ya forgot some retarders.:wink2:
> 
> (Ya guys up north work too fast.... don't ya get something to eat between post holes... and what "aboot" nap time.):biggrin2:
> 
> I'll bet you and I could pour that for him... with a good driver or good pump truck operator.


 The pump charge is 3 hr minimum so the builders in the neighbourhood want to get together and do 3 pours in that time.


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

Nealtw said:


> The pump charge is 3 hr minimum so the builders in the neighbourhood want to get together and do 3 pours in that time.


Thats the problem I am facing, pumping 2.5 yards of concrete with a 3 hour minimum, plus delivery fee. I was looking at $1000+ in avoidable costs.

I think up north you got to work fast before it gets too cold again to pour concrete.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Photobug said:


> Thats the problem I am facing, pumping 2.5 yards of concrete with a 3 hour minimum, plus delivery fee. I was looking at $1000+ in avoidable costs.
> 
> I think up north you got to work fast before it gets too cold again to pour concrete.


We don't loose much time to cold but rain can be a pain in the ass. 

And building ramps and hiring a couple guys with wheel barrows will cost more that the pump. Is that a pump truck or line pump. the line pump is usually cheaper but you have to drag the hose around.


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

I agree rain is worse than snow. But the cold here in NW Wyoming shuts down any concrete work from November to May. Things start getting tight in September, no one will even return a phone call unless you are already scheduled.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*try eBay = that's where we buy 'em*


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

I talked to Bigfoot today. They said to just shove some vertical rebar into the sonotube after the pour. Because there is no corners there is no need for need for horizontal component of the rebar, because there is no shear point.

If I wanted to I could bend the lower part of the rebar outward. I will try to contact the inspector to ask what he has seen and would approve, because he has the final say.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Photobug said:


> I agree rain is worse than snow. But the cold here in NW Wyoming shuts down any concrete work from November to May. Things start getting tight in September, no one will even return a phone call unless you are already scheduled.


Yeah we only lose a few days to real cold where the plants shut down. It's hard to work with much snow but usually can't get to the job site on mountains with snow. We might lose 30 days a year do to weather.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Photobug said:


> I talked to Bigfoot today. They said to just shove some vertical rebar into the sonotube after the pour. Because there is no corners there is no need for need for horizontal component of the rebar, because there is no shear point.
> 
> If I wanted to I could bend the lower part of the rebar outward. I will try to contact the inspector to ask what he has seen and would approve, because he has the final say.


You could have easily done a mono pour with the original plan, just have the concrete supplier add 2% calcium chloride to your mix, keep concrete at a low slump and pour the footers, then come back and do the sono tubes, done and done.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Yes ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^canary^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(Easy-Peasy)


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> I think up north you got to work fast before it gets too cold again to pour concrete.


My guess is you are fighting the cold before he does.

He isn’t that much further north, and the elevation is low. A lot of the Fraser valley is 100 feet plus or minus. What’s your elevation, 6,000 plus or minus ?

If I was going to be visiting one of you in the winter, I’d pick Neal’s place. But yes, the mountains around that valley are steep and you can gain a lot of elevation quickly.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Oso954 said:


> My guess is you are fighting the cold before he does.
> 
> He isn’t that much further north, and the elevation is low. A lot of the Fraser valley is 100 feet plus or minus. What’s your elevation, 6,000 plus or minus ?
> 
> If I was going to be visiting one of you in the winter, I’d pick Neal’s place. But yes, the mountains around that valley are steep and you can gain a lot of elevation quickly.


 Our daily average for a year is 59* F:biggrin2:


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## Photobug (Jun 25, 2017)

Nealtw said:


> Our daily average for a year is 59* F:biggrin2:


It snows here most every month. I spent two weeks on your coast last summer, loved it there. I would be back every summer except wife insisted next trip is to where the water is warm.


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