Slab on grade / Discussions

...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...

...on helical piles.  It is fairly common to find expansive soils such as leda clay in the Bas Saint Laurent region so I’m wondering if that was what steered you in the direction of building a home on piles. Another option to explore – what we like for ecological reasons among many other reasons – building a raft slab on ...

...slab EPS foam insulation is nothing compared to the labor required to switch to an entirely different method of insulating. I would first point you to this page -  Slab on grade technical guide We have other pages on slab construction as well that are worth looking at, you can find them if you enter slab on grade in th...

...slab on grade for a 20 by 14 room extension on a main house with Poured concrete dirt floor crawl space.  Yes, you can pour a slab on grade as a frost protected shallow foundation directly adjacent to a house with an existing foundation. You would need to have it properly engineered of course a good possible solution i...

...on a concrete pillar below the frost line, how would you integrate the Slab on grade with that construction? There isn’t a case where we would suggest going below the frost line with frost walls for a slab on grade, we prefer to to stay on grade and install a skirt of insulation around the perimeter of the building. On...

...slab on grade will be more durable and resilient than a basement. The only reason a slab would crack and damage a house is if it isn’t properly made. Assuming you don’t build on a flood plain, a slab will also not flood. With a basement, you can take measures to protect it, but there will always be at risk of flooding ...

...slab on grade, but these are not sold separately, they are a feature offered the company if you have them provide an engineered slab on grade foundation kit. Alternatively with a hand-built slab on grade foundation, you can remove a few inches of insulation where door openings will go to allow concrete to pour over it ...

...on, which then lends itself to the constant problem of erosion unless the backfil is contained in a crib of some sort.  Also, in order to save on costs building the shop, can I vary the slab thickness to accomodate different loading or do I have to pour one massive slab? I have a 12 tonne truck in one area, footprints ...

...onstrution. A heated floor can have a detrimental effect on some types of flooring, but there are many options. Is this a concrete floor? The easiest way is to just to polish it, a polished concrete floor is durable and affordable, and there is no problem if its heated. It’s more a problem with solid wood, the extreme ...

...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...