Reinforcement plinth small cottage

[PG Lindgren]

Working on casting foundations for a garden shed, I started wondering how much reinforcement I should use. Or my follow-up question became, is reinforcement needed?

I did some googling, ended up on threads here that mainly suggest "throw in some reinforcement."
To me, this feels very unscientific, which makes me want to question it.

So is reinforcement needed? What are the risks and outcomes if I skip reinforcement?

p.s. I haven't said that I'm going to skip reinforcement, I'm just questioning why it's needed.

 

[Mats-S]

The reinforcement strengthens the foundations and counteracts cracking, so, yes, throw in some reinforcement It's enough with about 3 to 4 10mm rods that you press down when the concrete is almost all the way up. Shake them a bit so that they are well encapsulated in the concrete. Also, make sure that the concrete covers the ends of the reinforcing bars. The foundations will now last at least 100 years

 

[Larsa]

The reinforcement creates a tension in the plinth that prevents it from cracking. A couple of rebar rods are usually sufficient.

 

[PG Lindgren]

The reinforcement strengthens the foundations and counteracts cracking, so yes, throw in some reinforcement It's enough with about 3 to 4 10mm rods that you press down when the concrete is almost all the way up. Shake them a bit so that they are well encapsulated in the concrete. Also make sure that the concrete covers the ends of the reinforcement rods. The foundations will now last at least 100 years

Nice to get a response from a Sollentuna resident 😀