# Deck Footings



## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

My daughter wants to take out a deck and put in a patio. So I'm looking for ideas/suggestions for removing the footings. Here in Minnesota they're 54-60" deep. A 10-12" circle of concrete, 50+" long must weight a ton. I thought if we dug down 1/2 way and used a 'come-a-long' on a tripod set up over the footing or She could hire someone with a Bobcat or ???

And that's my challenge. Thanks for reading.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Berry; can't you just break off the first 12" - 14" and abandon the rest?
Why do you need to remove the whole column?
If it were me, I'd use a roto hammer with an SDS bit to drill down vertically and deeply into it in several locations, then use steel wedges to 'blow' it apart...or just wale away on it with a heavy sledge hammer (from the sides).
Good luck!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I agree with Dan. If they were done properly the bottom of the column should be belled out which would make them very hard to pull out, then you also have to deal with the hole that is left. You could also use the roto hammer with a breaking bit and jack hammer them off at ground level.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Are the footings below, even or above ground level? Is the area level? If you need to bring in dirt for a new patio, won't need to break off or dig out the footings at all, just bury them. The amount of settle you'll get won't be much so, again, they'll be "out of the way".


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## Salty Dawg (Jan 24, 2014)

If you insist on taking them out, get a steel tube around 1/4 inch in diameter 60 inches long,make a "T" with 1/2 pipe, plug one end & on the other end put a fitting on the 1/2" pipe to accept a water hose, attach water hose & turn on, shove the 1/4" tube in the ground slowly & all around the footing, this will make then come out alot easier. I did this on a fence with post in the ground about 36" & took out 15 post in an hour with 2 people, we were able to just pick up on them & they came right out.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Speaking of new concrete...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5jR-OF4YwA/U3eJKcJYYjI/AAAAAAAAfWI/b-LgZHUcDbU/s1600/Concrete.jpg


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## Shortslvs (Jan 13, 2013)

I owned a concrete company many years and I agree cut off top few inches and cover if you can`t do that and they mucst come out... Rent a mini excavator and 90# hammer. Dig around it until you have exposed what looks like a 5 gallon bucket. Then break break it and use the mini to pull it out.

I owned a mini and a skid loader, and would have hired a dump truck to pick up the whole load and loaded it myself with skid loader. Two guys thou could handle a piece the size I am describing.

Good luck and I hope you can turn it into some family fun. Oh but make sure if anyone is there and not familiar with working around that kind of equipment that they know they have to watch the equipment at all times, because the operator can not see them.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

The less the soil under the new patio slab is disturbed the better. I would only cut off what portion is 4" below Patio finish grade A cheap hammer drill at HF + bit=$100. Swiss cheese the column break it off with sledge


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Berry, concrete weighs approximately 150 pounds per cubic foot - but you only need to remove the top of the columns as several have said. Pulling-up on anything buried in the ground is also working against suction and friction. If there's a footing and round columns, most likely they were cast separately; with a couple of "L" shaped rebar tying the two volumes of concrete together across the [horizontal] joint. If you cast a patio slab flat on top of the ground - it will move as the soil moisture below it freezes and causes heaving, which is the reason your footing was so low - to begin with.

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## peterward (Nov 11, 2014)

Nice idea...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Digging them out would create a huge amount of disturbed dirt...likely to create the potential for sinking after the pavers are in. As suggested, break off only as much as you need for the base for the pavers and leave it in. I tend to think of all solutions in three categories...do this, do that, do nothing.  I'm not a pro...just what I've done and seen done...

Good luck...Nick


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

peterward said:


> Nice idea...


Peter-- Welcome to the Router Forum.

Why not go to the Introduction Section and introduce yourself?


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