Gallery

The Footers, Foundation and the Wall

The excavation for the house
2 inch thick extra dense EPS under footers
Sides of footers also receive 2 inches of EPS
Footers are extra wide to spread pressure
Rebar structure starts for the Wall
Rebar work continues
Footers positions set by satellite survey technology
Reinforcing forms
Foaming gaps in EPS forms
Sealing gaps prevent heat sink thermal breaks
The concrete pours begins!
50% fly ash concrete mixture
It's a long reach to the far corner
Rebar added while concrete setting for foundation
A total of 7 loads of concrete used
Footers viewed from West
Concrete production responsible for 10% World's CO2 production
Forms stripped from footers revealing EPS
Forms left in place longer for 50% fly ash concrete
50% fly ash concrete cures twice as strong
The "Wall" forms with PVC tubes for PCM wax
The "Wall" 18 ½ feet tall, over 100 feet long, 16 inches thick
Thermal Break of the "Wall" using plastic rebar and 4 inches EPS
Construction of the "Wall" forms
Pouring the "Wall"
The "Wall" pour finished, no blowouts, EPS thermal break, tubes for PCM wax
Vasily contemplating the thermodynamics of the "Wall"
A total of three 55 gallon barrels were used to fill the "Wall"
PCM wax being pumped into the "Wall"
The PCM wax holds 3000 BTU's per cubic foot per degree F (100 times that of concrete)
Pouring the foundation walls
The "Wall" revealed
The "Wall" seen from behind
The 'Wall" and foundation required 10 loads of cement
The exposed "Wall" will be made into a climbing wall
Readying the pour to form the roof of the mechanical room
Roof poured with openings for plumbing, electrical, HRV etc
Wing insulation for Shallow Depth Frost Protected (SDFP) footers
Back Filling over SDFP wing insulation, 10 inches
Todd adding EPS to the top of the footers and sealing gaps
Vapor barrier atop the insulated footers
Foundation and wing insulation, Radon mitigation tubing
Gravel infill prior to adding 8 inches EPS (R32)
Mechanical room, polymer based waterproofing, Ecobase
Wing insulation sealed, vapor barrier in place, Ecobase atop foundation, Radon tubing
Insulation atop garage foundation
Wing insulation, insulated footers/foundation with vapor barrier and Ecobase sealing
8 inches EPS (R32) added to exterior of the "Wall" below frost line
"Wall" insulation, footers with 4 inches EPS and Vapor barrier, French drain
Garage floor drains
The "Wall" from behind
Mechanical room Ecobase sealed and ready for 12 inches EPS
Plumbing drains in place, fine gravel infill
Laying down two 4 inch layers of EPS (R32) with vapor barrier between
Concrete cuts for drains in footers will be covered with 4 inches EPs
Installing radiant heat tubing
Tubing attached to metal grid work
Larger diameter tubing (3/4") to decrease flow restrictions
Tubing in place, oversized couplers used
Tubing with wall placement, spray painted on
Mechanical Room with 12 inches EPS (R48) installed
Garage floor cement pour, rebar and vapor barrier
Using power trowel to smooth concrete
Creating slope to drains
Hand finishing garage floor
Power troweling first floor to a shiny smoothness, later will be stained
Incredibly smooth finish, radon mitigation pipe in background
Cement cut to deflect future cracking