Question for the all knowing Beeb

I have a concrete patio that butts up against a concrete foundation, there is a small 10" by 2" block that is Styrofoam on one side where the two meet. What is this?

 

Styrofoam.

What do I win?

 

Probably insulation for the foundation wall. Too thick to be expansion joint.

 

An all expense incurred trip to the bathroom. TP not included.

 

Dammit.

 

Then why only a 10" section for a 25' wide slab? Seems out of place. The foundation of the house goes down another 2' than the slab, was wondering if it was a vent, or drain, or what.

 

Here we have an excellent opportunity for a teaching moment and you guys want to joke around. What's the matter with you people?!

Here's a typical foundation section. This happens to be from a bank I quoted last month. It shows standard insulation on the perimeters. I'm surprised you have any because home builders typically skip this step.

 

You know you have to say that in Judge Smails voice

 

So thats where they poured in the expandable foam insulation? It does look like they used a razor to trim off the extra. Cool, good to know.

 

Yup...

 

That insulation is something that IME, has to be inspected by the county/city/municipality prior to pouring the slab.

Not having all the inspections signed off on when it comes to a C.O. is a no no.

 

I'm not around homebuilding that much, but when I was I never saw a foundation inspection. Then again that was over 30 years ago.

 

They inspect the insulation prior to pouring the slab. IME, it's not part of a foundation inspection, it's part of the slab inspection, along with the plastic sheeting/vapor barrier.

That insulation is more common in commercial buildings. I've only had to install it when a residential home didn't have full 8' foundation walls all the way around and the back of the house was at ground level. Nobody wants a carpeted basement with frost and moisture creeping in from the outside.

It's very common in multi family condos/apartments.

 

Curious what state you're in? I've poured square miles of slabs for Dupont, GE, Ford, GM, hospitals, banks, retail centers etc, etc and never had a foundation inspection performed. But then again, I'm in Kentucky

 

No foundation inspections here....Cincy. Whatever inspector is overseeing our jobs when structures/walls/bridges are involved, they will make sure the rebar isn't burning, but that's it.

 

That's about the same here. I thought you meant it was part of the permit inspection. Heck, we never get permits when we work at any of the above places. I even did a bunch of work at the Evendale GE plant and had zero issues.

 

South Carolina and North Carolina have residential foundation inspections.

 

Probably for hurricane straps

 

We do a lot of work in northern KY. Getting ready to do 16,000 lin ft of curb in Richwood off 75. Sucks for me cause it's 50 miles one way.

KDOT inspectors are tougher than Ohio, at least the ones we always deal with. Northern kentucky does a lot of their highway work in concrete. IMO, they make sure shit is done RIGHT because KY simply doesn't have the deep-er pockets that Ohio may have. So they make sure they're getting their moneys' worth. KY is also part of the 'right to work' push, and trying to eliminate prevailing wagers, like me.

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