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Mudsills - Where the Framing Meets the Foundation

January 21, 2011 by Anne

The framing meets the foundation at the mudsill and the space between them can be the cause of serious air leaks which transport moisture and waste heating/cooling energy.  In order to insure an airtight crawl space we made a tight seal between the mudsill and the top of the foundation by placing polyethylene sheeting between the mud sill and the top of the foundation.

Moisture Management of Foundations: Perimeter Sub-Surface Drainage

January 21, 2011 by Anne

The finished soil grade will be sloped away from the building so that surface water will naturally drain away from the structure. As an additional best practice for managing site and foundation drainage, we have installed a sub-surface "French drain" system at the base of the foundation walls to insure that sub-surface water can never accumulate and seep into the crawlspace.  Storm of the century or flood?? ...bring it on. This house will stay high and dry.

Moisture Management of the Foundation: Liquid Rubber and Stucco Coatings

January 21, 2011 by Anne

The crew is applying a special blend of adhesive, high strength, elastomeric liquid rubber to the exterior ICF walls which will create a water-proof membrane around the foundation. This coating is waterbased and contains no petroleum. It is non-toxic and VOC-free.

Energy Efficient Foundation: Concrete Pour into ICFs

December 18, 2010 by Anne

By using Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF's), reinforced concrete is sandwiched between two layers of lightweight insulating EPS foam. The wall that is created provides a combination of air tightness, strength, sound attenuation, insulation and mass.

High Performance Foundation Technology: Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF).

December 17, 2010 by Anne

 

We are building our foundation walls using Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) which are rigid plastic foam (EPS - Expanded Polystryrene) forms that hold concrete in place during curing. The ICFs remain in place to serve as thermal insulation for the concrete foundation walls.  These ICFs are made by Greenblock and have an R-value of about 22.

Foundation Grade Beams

December 8, 2010 by Anne

The beams trasfer the vertical load imposed on the span (or middle) of the beams to the concrete piers.

Starting the Pier and Grade Beam Foundation.

December 6, 2010 by admin

In our earthquake prone region of Northern California, building codes are incredibly strict and complex.  This particular site has a high content of sand and the building codes require that we take the foundation piers to a depth of 11'.

The piers support the load of the building and prevent the foundation from settling.

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