foundation / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...foundations for homes not only prevents foundations from cracking, it also reduces energy consumption and global CO² emissions. The negative environmental aspects of concrete use can be mitigated by good engineering to use finite quantities based on structural need, and by using it proactively for thermal mass. There i...

...foundation A slab foundation is better. Remember – a crawl space is a mini basement, aka a hole in the ground that will one day be filled in by nature, one way or another. To avoid flooding or moisture damage, or shifting due to soil quality, you would be better to build a raft slab on expansive soils or high water ta...

...foundation choice? Or is a basement better? Traditionally, home construction often starts with a concrete basement foundation - But is that the best choice?  The first factors to consider when designing the foundation system for a home are lot size and soil conditions. When space is limited (with total footprint and he...

...foundation see here, but we'll give conclusions below. Typically, the construction of a single family home in Canada & North America starts with a poured concrete footing followed by an 8-inch thick foundation wall, generally 8 to 10 feet in height. In a cold climate zone a basement foundation counts on being burie...

...foundation forms in a raft foundation Frost protected shallow foundations forms - details for edge profiles Frost protected shallow foundation forms - assembly details for corners Skirt detail for frost protected shallow foundation slab forms  Rebar detailing for frost protected shallow foundation slab forms S...

...foundations Why insulate under a slab on grade foundation? For comfort, and to save money, that's why! In many areas Building Code has fallen behind common sense on what specification of insulation to use under a slab, It is common to install as little as R5 insulation below slab floors, making that about the weakest p...

...foundation A slab foundation is better. Remember – a crawl space is a mini basement, aka a hole in the ground that will one day be filled in by nature, one way or another. To avoid flooding or moisture damage, or shifting due to soil quality, you would be better to build a raft slab on expansive soils or high water ta...

...foundation slab. Frost protected shallow foundation (FPSF) forms are in our opinion a great way to build a dependable foundation, and we're going to show how easy installing frost protected shallow foundation forms is here. How to build frost protected shallow foundations - why we chose this system EcoHome built our de...

...foundations through Code. Frost Protected Shallow Foundation or FPSF insulation design details for slab on grade Slab-on-grade step by step Instructions for problem expansive soils and high water tables EXCAVATION for Slab on Grade foundation: Hire an engineer to establish how to seat the footing for the foundations...

...foundations (depth and type). A high water table might limit your options for a gabion wall too - unless outside and the water streaks and stains add to the aesthetic you're going for.  Gabion cages can be used to build exterior garden furniture Gabion vs. concrete: carbon emissions  The gabion wall has many advantag...

...foundations & insulating from the exterior when renovating an old home © Ecohome Cinderblock, stone or cracked concrete foundation renovations: Before renovating or insulating, determine first that foundations can safely continue to support a structure long into the future. A foundation that isn’t badly deteriorat...