Questions About Outdoor Kitchen From Cmu

creteartisan

I'm looking for some advice on proper design of my project. I am in Atlanta. As you see in my diagram, it is basically a 50 foot outdoor kitchen/bar/fireplace/seating area.

The top end will also function as a retaining wall for about 18 inches of soil. There will be a 4" corrugated pipe to take away the water above the wall.

I will be using cmu's for the entire construction.


My primary concern is that I don't really know how thick I need the footing/slab to be. When you look at the diagram, you'll see that it will not be one large rectangle but rather five 8 foot sections that are 3-4ft wide.


By the way, I'm a decorative concrete contractor doing this for myself. That is why I want the 100 percent block construction to overlay once built. I don't deal much with construction though and would appreciate the help.

Tscarborough

Seat of pants W.A.G. will require about twice as much concrete as it would actually need, with no guarantee of success. Your best bet is to consult with a local structural engineer and let him determine the most cost effective foundation design. This may seem like wasted money, but if you WAG it and your 20,000 dollar outdoor kitchen breaks apart, what have you gained?

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cleveman

Is your question how thick your footing should be, or are you inviting us fora backyard party?

How should I know how thick? What are the recommendations down there? Is there any frost in Atlanta?

I'm surprised monolithic hasn't turned you in to the diy police and the moderator hasn't shut down your thread yet.

Build your footing 60" deep and you shouldn't have any worries in case of global cooling.

creteartisan

oh come on guys. It's not like you all haven't ever touched an electrical connection!

Although I agree that the frost line is probably no longer relevant with all the hot air al gore is spewing out, it's 4" down here. I should have mentioned that.

creteartisan

Cleveman, you were correct.

Called up a local structural engineer and he just ran me through all of it over the phone.

8" thick with #3 running on 12" centers 3 inches off dirt. Width needs to be 4" outside of blocks.

cleveman

Sounds like you can did down four inches and form up for a 8 deep x 16 wide footing. Put two re-rods in it. Or you can dig down the full 8", it's not too much of a dig.

ruskent

Must be nice to not have to dig down 42 inches to build everything.

cleveman

Send some naked pictures of your wife when you're done with the project. Countertops? Where is the refrigerator and firewood storage? Make some shade.

I'd like to have such a thing up here if global warming continues.

I've heard that out in the west, people make lots for RV people. They have an outdoor area with laundry, kitchen, everything. They buy these lots and park their RV's on them, then live on the spot and use the built in kitchen and laundry facilities. They have hurricane shutters to protect the stuff.

custom patios

your footer needs to be below frost line. in the n.e. thats about 3 feet deep, sometimes more. even if you dont have a substantial frost line you need to take into account your load. will there be a stone veneer on the cmu construction. you should really determine your seismic forces. look into designs for resisting seismic forces for more detail and to determine proper reinforcement. it gets complicated but once you do your homework youll have a good understanding why we build the way we do. hope this helps.

Steve Manning

I'm not a structural but unless you plan on driving a vehicle on the pad the 8" thick with rebar sounds like overkill. Around here, slightly north of you, it sounds like a standard sidewalk section would work with minimal size WWF instead of rebar. So that would be 4" thick concrete 3000 psi with 4" thick of stone base and 1.4 X 1.4 WWF. Then of course you'll need some joints (construction). Here is a link to an article on joint spacing.

can't post link sorry

And another with some useful information

cant post link sorry

And here is one with comments on depth of cover

can't post link sorry, go with WWF in middle of concrete section

For the block wall I'd have a six inch thick base six inches beyond either side of block well compacted.

There is plenty of stuff on the internet. I've had the opportunity or need to research them in the past.

concretemasonry

16" wide x 8" thick (could be 6" thick) footing below the local frost level for the block walls. Increase the width to support/conform to the fireplace. The block can be either 6" or 8", depending on your choice. - They build 20 story buildings out of 6" block, so they will do for a fireplace/retaining wall. 8" wide block may work out better for details/corners if you do not have a good block producer that makes 6" "L" corners. The footings do not really need reinforcement, but it is cheap and easy to put in.

Pour a floating 4" slab with wire mesh (6x6) on a compacted base and do your magic with the decorative concrete..

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.