Stemwall bond to footer. Advice needed.

[earl]

Help! I am doing a garage addition to my house. We contracted out the concrete work for the foundation and slab. The job was done poorly and the slab and stemwalls were uneven and left with lots of air pockets (honeycombed). (All done in one pour). Redo: The slab and stemwall have been removed, leaving the footings. The concrete contractor wants to pour new stemwalls and slab over the existing footings. Is this wise? Should the footings be replaced as well? If not, how should the new stemwall be tied to the footing? There is currently no rebar or bolts extending from the footing. The anchor bolts were only long enough to extend about an inch into the footing from the stemwall. I am concerned about the new concrete not bonding well to the old, and water seeping into the joint. The contrator would like to pour this weekend (12/13). Any input is appreciated. Thanks. :cry:

[CurtisS]

It would be wise to have rebar reinforcement extending from the footings into the stem wall. I don't think drilling and sinking rebar extentions into the existing footing would be strong enough. I am curious as to how you separated the stem wall from the footings since the original was done in one pour. Were the footings damaged in the process?
In my personal opinion (and I am no expert), I think you are asking for trouble later on if you try to reuse the old footings. Especially since it is an addition (I am assuming it is attached).

Ciao for now!

CurtisS

[earl]

The contractor separated the stemwall from the footing using brute force -- jackhammer and sledgehammer. I didn't notice any visible cracking in the footings after separation, however it is rather rough. I would have preferred a cleaner separation. It is an attached addtion. Thanks for your input.

[Rich]

If it's decided to reuse the footing (against my better judgement) you can drill and epoxy the rebar into the footing. The rougher the area of separation the better - it gives you more surface area for the concrete to bond to.. much like glue. To handle the intrusion of water down the road you can use a bentonite tube or some other type of waterstop.. www.greenstreak.com has a couple types. These just lay (or are glued) in the bottom of the stemwall and when water hits it it expands to seal it up.

After saying all that I would suggest against reusing the existing footing.. like CurtisS said "you are asking for trouble". I'm actually quite amazed you convinced them to replace it in the first place - power to you.