Concrete Fixing

[Russ1978ham]

Hi Everyone,

I’m about to build a man cave using SIP Panels and I was wondering what was the best fixing for the timber base/sole plate to concrete?

Would the 7mm x 150mm concrete screws do the trick or would I require something more heavy duty?

Thanks in advance,

Russ

 

[MikeG.]

Welcome to the forum.

It's a really bad idea to fix the panels direct to concrete. They should be raised on a plinth at least 150mm high. To sit them on the concrete and then bolt through the DPC into the slab is doubly bad, allowing a path for water at ground level directly into your walls, as well as making a structural connection uncomfortably close to the edge of the concrete.

 

[Russ1978ham]

Sorry mate didn’t make it clear, I’ll have the base plate fixed to concrete then another fix plate on top for the sips to be mounted as per manufacturer’s instructions.

Just looking for advice on fixing base plate to concrete,

 

[MikeG.]

So wood on concrete at ground level. My advice stands.

 

[AJB Temple]

Listen to Mike.

Use brick of block plinth + dpm and fit structural insulation panels to that. You can put a timber plinth on top of brick / block plinth if you think it will make your build easier. A timber sole plate on concrete is asking for rot and water wicking and you will regret it.

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Mike is correct in what he's saying in terms of durability.

With regards to soleplate fixings this is what we tend to specify as fixings (not many companies like to give us capacities of their fixings into masonry!). Please note that as structural engineers we design the building for sliding and overturning which is resisted by the soleplate fixings (both pullout and in shear), therefore without designing it I couldnt tell you how often the fixings should be installed.

 

[HappyHacker]

I had some large stables built, wood construction (4X2 frame) used 20mm Through Bolts that went through the sole plate and the single course of engineering brick the sole plate was mounted on into the concrete base .

I saw a 17 hand draught horse rubbing her bum on one of the stable walls and the middle of the wall must have been moving out about 3 inches but the base never moved and has never done so despite being in a relativly exposed position.