Slab on grade / Discussions

...on a budget Are better insulated homes with the money? – The answer to that is pretty much always a resounding ‘yes’.  Choosing between a basement and slab on grade, which is better? – if you have the room, a slab on grade can be cheaper to build that a basement.  Aside from those general pages, another determining fac...

...slab successfully, but we have seen many mistakes along the way, and often sub-optimal performance. This page here covers the pros and cons of a basement vs slab on grade as a good starting place – Slab on Grade vs Foundation & Crawlspace or Basement? In there you can see our slab on grade installation video of our...

...one mention that this type of foundation supports the house evenly and did not need a lot of fill dirt. What is my best option for cost and energy savings? should I just use a stander slab, or do you have something like this without the heated floors that would work better? A Legalett raft slab has an optional air heat...

...on air heated radiant floors and have a few questions: What is the cfm on such a system  (per loop or run)? What temp is run through the system? Are there any other providers of such systems than Legallett in the USA? Thank you for your help,  Marty Legalett supplies air heated radiant floors with electric or water coi...

...slab you may be bettter with a raft slab that spreads the weight evenly over the whole surface. But for your general knowledge, here is our guide on slab foundations -  Technical guide on how to build a slab on grade foundation  It is more than the thickness of concrete that will determine its structural integrity, it ...

...on nobody seems to be able to answer: We're building an 1100 sqft ranch on a monolithic slab w/ 2" hard foam insulation under slab (+ crushed stone & eps vapor barrier), and 2" hard foam insulation vertically around sides/edges of slab and subfloor above.  On top of the slab will be a wood subfloor web-truss system...

...slab on grade instead, which is more efficient, more valuable, and likely competitively priced compared to a home built on piers if you consider the added insulation you’ll need due to letting air flow underneath. Here is a slab on grade with no footing that is great for building on problem soils, it may be a solution ...

...slab foundations and homes, I would first check our BC Step Code made easy page for information on that. Building codes vary too much between states, provinces and even cities for us to keep up with unfortunately.

...ons would be – use the same footprint, you can expand it a bit and have a portion as a slab on grade, you can even fill in the existing foundation and build a slab on top. If that were the case you should see this page about how to build a slab on grade on problem soils. If you are going to be demolishing an old home a...

...one builds a highly insulated house on an insulated slab are heated floors necessary? Whether or not you need radiant heat in a slab on grade foundation floor that is super insulated depends on your climate, the amount of insulation, any floor coverings you put on, and finally how you personally define comfort. See thi...

...ondered about 'backfilling' our basement, raising the house to second story height, and building a new ground floor on a slab on grade foundation, so to speak. We live in a high ranch, with the front door cut into the existing foundation, so the idea would be to bring the foundation to "level" (tying in door, window sp...

...Ontario which is  Georgian Bay.  I am an architect, interested in combining the Legalett system with either a thermal solar panel or thermal tubing.  I need advice and a better idea of what your services are.  I watched a video with Mike Reynolds from your company.  I have a few structural questions about the raft slab...

...slab on grade house and pour a new slab under it, unless of course I’m missing something here. The raft slab insulated slab on grade kit with the air heated radiant floors is intended for new home construction, though you could raise a house and build a basement with one.  So – on the off chance you have a crawlspace a...

...slab on grade home is probably about the same. Unless it was built by someone that was an early pioneer of green building in a sense, which is possible, because slab on grade homes in the north weren’t very common 50 years, so if someone built one then maybe they were ahead of their time. So it may be well-insulated by...

...onolithic slab on grade can have concrete poured all at one time rather than have a second costly trip by a pump truck and foundation team.  You will need to do something like that anyway, but given that you are that close to bedrock I don’t think I’d be considering a concrete wall on top, I would sooner just do the sl...

...oncrete slab. As my basement is below the frost line, I’m not sure if insulation is necessary, but want to know what the experts think. If insulation is required, how much and what type is recommended? You absolutely need to install insulation under a slab, you would be utterly miserable if you didn’t, you would have f...

...slab on grade foundations as well as ground loops for HRVs and ERVs, can be a an easy way to harness the heat of the ground without needing to do any additional excavation.  I would mention your plans first to the slab form kit manufacturer and get them to sign off on it ahead of time.

...slab on grade house on high ground will safeguard your home against extreme weather events in a changing climate.   If you do choose to go with a basement, please see our guide to durable and healthy basement construction, and take extra durability measures such as installing a sump pump, possibly a second one dependin...