Raft slab / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...raft slab on expansive soils or high water tables instead of a slab with a thickened edge footing. A raft slab distributes the weight evenly over the whole surface instead of resting on an edge-loaded footing, so the risk of differential settlement or shifting is greatly reduced.  A raft slab requires almost no excava...

...slab elevation. If the excavation level needs to be raised, refer to the manufacturer's drawing for instructions on the use of compacted fill. NOTE: The final landscaping of the ground surface at the slab shall slope minimum 5% away from the slab. Flatten the site and strip the topsoil carefully, putting the soil and a...

...raft-sealing tapes in specific places. He’d recently had to open up a wall and restart because they’d skipped a few steps. He was spending so much time on-site that he was neglecting the management of his business. As a result, he didn’t think he’d make any money this season. Despite all this, he wasn’t sure his projec...

...slab on grade foam forms installation video here.   Hydronic radiant tubing for a slab-on-grade floor © Ecohome You can see a Video Guide on How to Install Hydronic Radiant Heated Floor Tubing HERE Alternatively, you can heat floors with electric wires and this is often the most affordable after-market...

Materials in a home that act as thermal mass are things like concrete, masonry, ceramic tiles, even a large volume of wood like timber frames. All materials inside the insulated building envelope will store and release heat, the more dense they are the more pronounced the effects are.  Intentionally adding greater amou...

...slab-on-grade foundation with a thickened-edge footing without first preparing the site with extensive and costly soil remediation. Opting for a raft slab in such conditions can be a much cheaper option.  A raft slab is a type of frost-protected shallow foundation, or slab-on-grade foundation, that does not include the...

...slab floors Learn more about the benefits of a free Ecohome Network Membership here.

...slab exterior.   Read more about Passive House construction and efficient home building in general on the pages below and in our Green Building Guide.  How to build a slab or foundation on soft soil and high water tables Silicate sealers for concrete slab floors - durable and healthy Step by step guide on how...

...SLAB ON GRADE FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION    Polyethylene barriers below slab floors serve two purposes - to prevent moisture from wicking into concrete and disbursing it into homes, also to create a radon barrier. Radon gas occurs naturally in the soil, a result of decomposing uranium in the ground. So it's everywhere, bu...

...slab foundation Insulating below monolithic slab-on-grade foundations Where do water pipes go in a slab foundation? Disadvantages of a monolithic slab foundation Key tips for monolithic slab foundation success Building a monolithic concrete slab foundation, step-by-step Monolithic slab vs. floating slab: understanding ...

A resilient home for sustainability Northern Quebec isn’t a place where one might expect to look for a model of resilience. It’s bone-chilling cold in the winter with 10,450 heating degree days per year (Fahrenheit degree-days, base 65°F); there isn’t all that much sunlight in the winter, and Quebec—let alone northern ...