# Contractor left a hole in the basement floor after moving plumbing. Does it matter?



## cad1857 (Sep 12, 2016)

We are getting our basement finished by a contractor. He had to break the basement floor to move the shower drain as it was roughed in too close to the wall, and shower stall wouldn't have fit there. He had to hammer jack a "hole", which was about 1-1.5ft in diameter, and about foot deep. After extending the shower drain so it was farther from the wall, he just put the shower stall base on top of it without filling the hole with cement/concrete first. He said it wasn't needed. Does it matter? Should I be worried? They have just put up drywall on the frames so if I insist that they fill the hole in the floor, they would have to take down the drywalls to do that. So, I want to make sure that the hassle was worth it. Could you please provide some guidance? Thanks much


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## nealtw (Sep 13, 2016)

That is normal where I live


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## bud16415 (Sep 13, 2016)

I would have filled it in. 

I know no basement floor is 100% water tight but why leave a way for water to enter if you don&#8217;t have to. All we are talking about is one bag of ready mix. 

Will it be a problem? No one knows the answer to that. 

I would have asked for it to be done at the time but now I think I wouldn&#8217;t if they tell you it will never be an issue. I would have it on record somehow that if it becomes a  problem they will have to come back and fix it. 

I&#8217;m not a contractor just a guy that does his own work. Neal says it is normal up his way. So I have to say I would go with that. If you live where the water table is very deep it should never be an issue.


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## frodo (Sep 13, 2016)

yes,  that is a problem,  it is a huge problem.

I would go so far to say, tell him to patch it.

first let me tell you the correct way to fix it

bust floor
move pipe
pack earth back and either seal hole with concrete or non fibered tar

why ?  TERMITES

you have a wide open door to subterranean termites with a flashing neon sign saying come here and dine

In my little part of the world it is mandatory to seal the tub/shower holes  with tar



if that shower pan leaks,  where is the water going to go ?

down the hole to your foundation.   washing it out over time

if the hole is sealed, the water will run out from under the pan,  on the floor of the bathroom,  alerting you to a problem before extensive damage has occurred


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## bud16415 (Sep 13, 2016)

I didn&#8217;t think of termites as we don&#8217;t have much of that problem here but a very good point. Also the leak and the hole catching the water and erosion. Great points.


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## Snoonyb (Sep 13, 2016)

Also, the eventuality of soft spots where the pan is not fully supported.


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## nealtw (Sep 13, 2016)

We could hope that people working where termites are a problem would look after it properly.
Sure worth looking into.


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## frodo (Sep 13, 2016)

bud16415 said:


> I didnt think of termites as we dont have much of that problem here but a very good point. Also the leak and the hole catching the water and erosion. Great points.



we pour non, fibered tar in every tub hole after it has been checked for leaks

if a conventional house,  we screw sheet metal over the hole to keep out rodents.


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## Snoonyb (Sep 13, 2016)

Ants are the termites natural enemy.

Then, there is the odd bit of a bologna sandwich, left on the counter.


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## cad1857 (Sep 13, 2016)

Thank you very much for all your help and comments.
We asked, and he obliged by filling in the hole with cement and gravel that was originally dug out. 
We do not have termites in our region, BTW. 

PS. We did take out permits (two of them are required in our jurisdiction for this work: plumbing and electrical. Inspector has been by for the initial inspection. Some deficiencies were found in plumbing work. He will come by later for final inspection.

We are using 2x4 and 2x6 lumber bought from HomeDepot (the yellow/pale coloured--spruce?) for framing. The same kind you see being used everywhere.

Regular DryWall is being used everywhere. He plans to paint it with Kitchen/Bathroom paint. One gallon of this from Behr (HomeDepot) was almost twice the price of regular paint. The ceramic tiles going on this drywall comments now concern me...


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## nealtw (Sep 13, 2016)

Lumber has an ink stamp on it that will tell you species and grade. The species may say SPF, spruce pine white fir, the grade should 2.
Did they put something between the wood and concrete where the two meet.


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## frodo (Sep 14, 2016)

white sheet rock does not go in wet areas   the green  or blue sheet rock does

















http://trugarddirect.com/products/shower-kits/?gclid=CNqzkcCXjs8CFQQJaQod_JgFpQ


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## Snoonyb (Sep 14, 2016)

nealtw said:


> Lumber has an ink stamp on it that will tell you species and grade. The species may say SPF, spruce pine white fir, the grade should 2.
> Did they put something between the wood and concrete where the two meet.



Or DF, Utility or const and it's why I preferr 20ga. steel.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 14, 2016)

cad1857 said:


> The ceramic tiles going on this drywall comments now concern me...



This should be a concern, drywall is not meant for wet applications. backer board and a water proffer are required under tile in a wet environment. See post 12 by Frodo.


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## frodo (Sep 14, 2016)

what is the shower base made of ?  is it plastic home depot    or marble ?   terrazio ?  culturl marble ?

if it is plastic home depot....it is  imperative it is set in concrete to support it 100%


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## vinny186 (Sep 22, 2016)

Frodo, in the diagram you posted a few posts up, it shows the backer board going over the shower pan flange. Won't this push out the bottom of the backer board putting it out of plumb?


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## frodo (Sep 23, 2016)

curf the backer board ,  just like you would do on a sheet rock board for a mud bed  edge 
lip is only 1'' high.  


View attachment 12553


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## CallMeVilla (Sep 23, 2016)

We always fill holes like that with concrete.  HOWEVER, we wrap the drain pipe with "pipe wrap tape" to protect the metal from the aggregate in the concrete.  Same goes for plumbing supply lines and gas line which are encased in concrete.  Hope he did that too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N3Y6UU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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