Build Foundation in X1

[chuckgar]

This is an interesting subject to me. I was a wall panel/truss designer for an outfit out of Fremont NE. for a few years that has plants in NE, IA, and CO. All of the projects I did for NE and IA was sheathing flush to fnd. CO was always to frame. As a framer in CO for several years before that, I had never heard of this sheathing flush thing until working there. So anyway the biggest complaint with our wall panels came from the NE and IA areas saying that they had to cut or add to our walls because they didn't match their floors. Time and time again our salesmen would go out to the job, measure the floors only to find out that the floor was built to the wrong size. Wrong meaning not the dimension on the plan. And IMHO accomadating an inaccurate fnd, either wrong dimension or out of square, is wrong. Now I have seen CMU fnd's come out very nice, but never concrete. So my question is this; Do you intentionally build your house out of square to match the fnd? No one will answer yes to that I am sure (but unfotunately it happens all of the time). And what happens when the fnd is sticking out past the sheathing? At least when you hold it to frame you got the sheathing to play with.

Anyway, it is still my opinion. As a framer I really just don't see it working very well. Nor do I think anyone who designs this way is wrong. But I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of doing this to talk to their builder first and see if that is what the guys want.

[DL Drafting]

Wendy,
Check your back-clip section view of the foundation after you do all that. See if your sheathing layer is flush to the outside edge of the concrete.

[DL Drafting]

Dan,
I may have it. When I make the foundation with an extra 1/2" layer on it (still concrete material of course) and reduce the main layer to 7 1/2", then dimension to the outside layer, I get the correct results as shown here, I still have an 8-inch-thick wall, and I don't have to do anything else with it later. It also gives me an option of changing the surface texture on the inside or outside of the foundation if I wish to paint it or stucco it or something like that. This may work. I will see how it goes. Dan

[DL Drafting]

Chuck,
If a foundation is out of square, it's out of square whether you fudge for the sheathing layer or put your box sill right out to the edge. In all my years of drafting, I have never designed a foundation out of square. It's true. But I have had many of them formed out of square. I've even had framers get the floor out of square when the foundation was right -- although that has been rare.

[kernsdan]

I always try to stay square. I dont know how many others do the following, but I always layout my foundations with batter boards and tell the foundation people to set to my lines. I dont depend on them telling me where my foundation should be.

[WendyWelton]

And I'm still trying to figure out exactly what's not working right for Dan - 'cause mine is giving me what I think he says he wants just fine.

[louis]

Dan,

You are right on the money, I don't like the way this works either.

Wendy,

It does not build it correctly. These guys know what they are talking about.

[ambrozac]

Wendy,

Hard to explain, except in X1, when changing the main layer, the wall moves to meet the dimensions. If you draw a 12'x12' building and use the automatic dimensions, then change the main layer to the sheathing layer, the 12' dimension will go to that layer and not stay set at the framing layer, bringing the wall inwards. The foundation then follows. In V10, only the main layer changes and the wall stays in place, with the same automatic dimensions. This way, the foundation stays aligned the way you have the main layer set..........You can use layered foundation walls and have the main layers align, but the treated sill plates do not generate correctly.

Edit: See below.....

[ambrozac]

On the above, if you set your General Wall Defaults to resize about "Wall Center" and generate the foundation the way Wendy suggests, it may hold. I'll play with that and see if it works.....Seems like it does and generates the framing properly, except for the sill plate. I normally have my resize about set to the outside of main layer, but with this type foundation, try setting to wall center and see if it will work.

[RMorrison]

Wendy,

Hard to explain, except in X1, when changing the main layer, the wall moves to meet the dimensions. If you draw a 12'x12' building and use the automatic dimensions, then change the main layer to the sheathing layer, the 12' dimension will go to that layer and not stay set at the framing layer, bringing the wall inwards.

I just tried this and this happens for me, too. I think this is a MAJOR bug. No way should walls be resizing when you just change the main layer temporarily.

[ChiefCanada.com]

I can confirm what Wendy is saying. X1 generates a foundation exactly as it did in ver 10.

[ChiefCanada.com]

As far as generating to the main layer goes. As I sometimes do I didnot see the last page. (I'm over 50) I have to look into this some more.

[zoome]

Sorry to have started this thread and I have not been around to finish it (or at least contribute to it).

For one reason or another I have a plan that I started in X1 that is giving me problems with generating a foundation the way I did in Ver 10. I have attached the plan.

I can get other plans to comply but with this one the gremlins are loose and it just doesn't build the foundation as expected by changing the main layer.

If you have the urge, try it and see if you get the same results.

Thanks,

Zoome

[louis]

Dan,

I did try it and I get the same results. It does not work as 10 does.

Yes look again Rob.

[zoome]

Thank you. I am not crazy ... at least not about this topic.

FYI ... I still may be crazy .

Zoome

P.S. This thread can end as far as I am concerned. I have a work around and I guess I will get to the bottom of it someday.

Edit: I did start a simple plan from scratch and I changed the main layer prior to building the foundation. It worked fine. On the posted plan, I did not change the main layer until after building it wrong once. Perhaps X1 is holding onto some default information that keeps it from building it differently from the first time. (Just a thought as I am banging my head against the table.)