Addition built on Piers vs. foundation
powergirl
12 years ago
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marcolo
12 years agopowergirl
12 years agoRelated Discussions
best flooring for pier and beam foundation
Comments (9)We had laminate installed in our early 80's remodel and they put NO moister bearier down. They also didnt use any seams on a 200 ft running piece in our hall.everything was butted up against the walls. Well, we didn't know, as a young couple with no carpentry experience. But after a few days of East Texas humidity, you can imagine what happenedd! It looked like I had skateboard ramps throughout my house. Lowe's came back out and told me I needed gutters installed because of the moister. So we bought about $1000 worth of gutters. Problem got worse. Then they came out and said we needed to install something underneath to the house. (Seemed to me like that would trap moister) since the moister barrier under the flooring wasn't working. My Husband asked what are you talking about? I was here when part if it was going down and nothing was between the plywood and the laminate. Very surprised and a little unbelieving, the Lowe's man pulled a piece up and sure enough NO MOISTER LAYER! We'll they ended up replacing all the laminate throughout my house, but now I have shoe moulding + my crown because my contractor had already put up my crown moulding. Be sure they use a moister bearier. Don't just assume people know what they are doing. It's good you are getting informed. BTW this was not a diy project. It was bought at lowes and installed by someone contracted out by lowes....See MorePier and Post foundation questions
Comments (7)This is very common in the west for 50's homes. I've owned 3 that have been this way. We have posts at about 6-8' o.c., with 4x6 beams that run the length of the house, and 2x6 T&G planking. Plywood over that. It is very strong, very sturdy, but not done any more simply because it's expensive. It's not a drawback at all-- you have solid flooring, something not done any more only because it's overkill. One thing you mention is odd tho... "The inspector sent a picture of one of the posts and it looks like they cemented it into the ground like you would a fencepost." You mean the base of the post is flush with the ground? Shouldn't be. Should be elevated on a 10" high concrete pier, with the post starting at min 10" above ground level in the crawlspace. "isn't it supposed to be bolted to a cement base that sits on the cement pad?" Well there is no "pad" here. Just a pier. Should be at least 10x10x10 above ground, and probly 12" deep under ground and much wider in the below ground portion. "We live in the Pacific NW so there is an earthquake danger, though not as bad as some places." Many homes in California are this way. I believe it's good for earthquakes as it is very flexible. No solid slab to crack, just wood framing that can bend w the earth. -mike...See MoreIcf vs rigid foam basement foundation? R value and cost
Comments (17)We built all-ICF in upstate SC, and the performance is remarkable in our fairly mild climate. Given the same foam thickness, either method should perform about the same. The only big advantage I can see for ICF is that it has fastening strips embedded for attaching drywall and exterior siding, if desired. I think ICF does best in moderate climates, with performance falling off at the extremes of temperature. While building our house, I measured the core temperature during the coldest part of winter, and it was about 13 C. (55 F.). I imagine in a very cold climate, it would be much lower than that. Our small house has about 100 tons of concrete in the walls. I'd hate to try to heat that significantly. Here, our ground doesn't freeze more than a couple inches. Our winter design low is -7 C. (20 F.), and in the summer, it is often 34 C. (93 F.), occasionally much warmer, and rarely gets below -18 C. (0 F.) in the winter, and is almost always above freezing during the day. I read an article measuring the true R- performance of ICF in different temperatures. During the shoulder seasons, when temperatures are rather mild, it can perform as high as R-66, while the 'true' R-value is R-24. That's why you sometimes see inflated claims as to its performance. For a very cold climate, you'd want extra foam on the outside of the foundation, plus careful attention paid to isolating the concrete core from the cold ground temperatures. They do make ICF with different thicknesses inside and out....See MoreRoom addition to Porch--question about foundation
Comments (13)Yes, Covid has brought out the worst in the houzz crowd. A 5 1/2" slab with rebar is stout, but the presence of piers and lack of a perimeter beam at the porch has me thinking soils are poor and the porch could move independent of the main house structure. A screen porch could probably rest on that slab, but I I think you need the engineer's input for a real enclosure. Don't be surprised if there are foundation improvements needed....See Moresierraeast
12 years agopowergirl
12 years agojonnyp
12 years agopowergirl
12 years agojonnyp thank you for your input. There is an exsisting powder room that we would like to move so we can open the kitchen to the living room and enlarge our eating area at the same time. I downloaded the floor plan (before/after). We are only in the design and planning phase and will get all the permits required by our town. I am going to the town offices today to speak with someone from the building dept. If anyone has any other suggestions to help the flow and give us a little elbow room with the least amount construction I would love to hear it.
sierraeast
12 years agoUser
12 years agopowergirl
12 years ago
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