Floor height issues

[quickdraw]

This is an issue I have had for a while and just gave up making foundations in CA. There has to be a way to do this correctly though - I just can't figure it out.

You see the dbx in the pic? I would like to have my finish floor height be at 30" this allows for an 18" crawl space and 12" of floor framing.

So theoretically this means that my "ceiling below height" should be 18".

Whenever I try to change the ceiling below height or the stemwall height it won't let me. So I end up with the silly dimensions you see in the pic.

Help!
- Rachel

[louis]

Rachel,

Is this a multi- level house or is everything on the same level?

[quickdraw]

The garage is on a slab and the rest of the house is on a raised foundation (typ.)

[Allen42acj]

Is this what your trying to get?I built the foundation first.
Allen Colburn

[fcwilt]

Hi

As far as I know the height of the first floor is always 0 and the basement goes down from there.

When creating the basement do you set the desired wall height?

[louis]

Rachel,

I think if I were drawing that I would approach it like this. Floor at 0 and garage at a negative.

[louis]

Rachel,

You don't really have a ceiling in a crawl space.

[Allen42acj]

You would not want a 18"foundation.
Not deep enough for frost line.
Allen

[lbuttery]

Frederick:

The first floor doesn't have to be at 0 there can be 29 floors below ground level and one above.

It seems that at least one floor needs to be above ground. But, there may be ways around this, I just haven't played with it enough to see.

Can anyone put all floors underground ? Doesn't have to be 30, just do 3 or 4 floors with all of them below ground level.

Lew

[quickdraw]

You don't really have a ceiling in a crawl space.

I know that but that is the name of that dimension in the dbx.

So really? The only way to do this is to pretend that the garage is below grade?

That won't look right with the terrain will it? Do I have to set the terrain to be lower too?

Well I guess I feel better about not having figured it out before. It can't be done the way it should be done.

I really don't understand why I can't set the measurements to be what they are. There is no way I can get an accurate section. Garage on a slab with the rest of the house on a raised foundation is really really common.

[quickdraw]

You would not want a 18"foundation.

I don't want an 18" foundation. I want an 18" crawl space. The foundation will go to 12" below grade (including the footing) for a total perimeter foundation height with mudsill of 30"

[louis]

Rachel,

You could do it with the garage at 0 and the house at 30".

The terrain can be set to any height.

[alobartn]

I agree. This has always been confusing.

[quickdraw]

You could do it with th garage at 0 and the house at 30".

That is how I had it set.

LATE BREAKING NEWS

I just called tech support and all I had to do was remove the pesky "D" next to the dimension I was trying to change.

[louis]

Okay.