How important is it that the building foundation be squared?

Question

The building is on a stem wall. The contractor could not seem to get it squared. It was 4 inches off in some places and 2-6 inches in others. I told him I thought anything more than 2 inches was too much and he said it would be fixed later when the slab is poured.

I think it is important to fix it before anything is done.

Isn't it very important that the building be squared?

Answer 1

I see you went with the lowest bidder...

Your 2" acceptable tolerance is too much.  You are being too kind.   It sounds like he plans on putting "bearing" walls on the slab, and not the foundation....bad practice...You know what they say about a house built on a weak foundation.??

Stop all payments going forward, and be prepaired to remove him from the job, and charge to have the foundation underpinned and re-poured...   If it is a brick building, check with an engineer what may need to be done..

Answer 2

Not at all. you can fudge all the timber all the way to the roof to match the foundation other wise you would have a 4" overhang on one wall and a place to set your beer on the other. then cut back all drywall to fit the out of square rooms. if your flooring is hardwood or anything other than carpet you need to split the difference or lay it diagonally so you don't see it's so racked. then any furniture you put into the corners won't fit right or you could fire the contractor and get someone who can read a tape and check diagonals.

Answer 3

I think you are way too easy to please.   I think anything over 1/2" off is way too much.  What you didn't mention is the size of the building.  My 1/2" refers to a home no larger than 50' in any direction.  When I build a home I build it square.  You may be able to square it off if you are building a slab (no basement or crawl space) and this will not have any significant problems.  I assume your foundation is a footing or a frost wall for a single story structure.  

If you are building walls on  top of the foundation, the carry of the weight may be affected.   You should consult with your building inspector, he has the power to insist the pour is correct.

Answer 4

what a boot...fire his *** and get it done right ...if you sued him to remove the work and have it done right , you wouldnt have a hard time proving his incompetence...as stated  a 1/2 in. out of sq. and a 1/4 in. in height is barely acceptable...