Is an expansion joint required by the IRC when pouring concrete against a house?

[bnymbill]

I apologize if this has been discussed but I couldn't find a thread...

Is an expansion joint required by the IRC when pouring a concrete patio against a house? In the neighborhood I'm looking at, the builder is putting ice barrier on the house where the concrete will be poured but no expansion joint material. In my experience, an expansion joint material such as foam, fiber, or cork is best practice but I'm looking for a specific IRC reference if one exists.

Thanks!

 

[Gregg Harris]

I apologize if this has been discussed but I couldn't find a thread...

Is an expansion joint required by the IRC when pouring a concrete patio against a house? In the neighborhood I'm looking at, the builder is putting ice barrier on the house where the concrete will be poured but no expansion joint material. In my experience, an expansion joint material such as foam, fiber, or cork is best practice but I'm looking for a specific IRC reference if one exists.

Thanks!

Not required, but not prohibited.

 

[e hilton]

The ice barrier will prevent the new concrete from bonding with the old, serving the same purpose as an expansion joint.

 

[bill1952]

And it's likely to shrink away from the house.

 

[ICE]

Whether an expansion joint is required or not seems less important to whether an expansion joint is prudent. How do you know if an expansion joint will be prudent? Shirley you'd rather not know.

As an example I point to swimming pool plans. A certain California engineering firm has a standard pool plan that most every contractor uses. There is expansion joints shown where concrete paving meets obstacles such as a foundation for a house or the bond beam of the pool. The plans always show the expansion joint with a note that states "Recommended". That created an issue for me as the inspector. If I write the correction to install the expansion joint, the contractor can point to the word recommended.

So getting back to Prudence. There are other items on the standard pool plan that are recommended which I didn't ask for. The expansion joints were a thing for me as I have seen bond beams that were snapped off the shell by a slab of concrete with no expansion joint. So you see it comes down to wishing you had if it would have made a difference.

 

[Joe.B]

Is an expansion joint required by the IRC when pouring a concrete patio against a house?

How big a patio are we talking here?

 

[e hilton]

How big a patio are we talking here?

Why do you ask?

 

[Joe.B]

Why do you ask?

Why not?

 

[e hilton]

Why not?

Indeed.

I was wondering if there would be a different answer for different size slabs. Or maybe you were going to recommend CCJ spacing.

 

[Joe.B]

Indeed.

I was wondering if there would be a different answer for different size slabs. Or maybe you were going to recommend CCJ spacing.

Yeah, that's basically where I was going with it. If it's large enough to need control joints, then it just seems obvious that you would need to take into account how your new patio is going to interact with the existing building foundation. If your "patio" is basically a glorified landing, meh, maybe not...