Is this concrete construction suspended? Is there a crawl space or basement below? You may find that the concrete is formed in a 'pan' made up of the joists and wood installed below as the bottom. Some 'pans' constructed this way first had a layer of coal clinkers and ash and then concrete poured on top of that. I'd say leave it and do what SoneTech suggests. No need to go deep with your concrete to avoid cracking; just go to the level you want with the appropriate bonding agent and concrete mix...and then use the Ditra.

We are just finishing up a renovation project in the kitchen part of our 4 year old house. The vinyl tile there now was basically destroyed - and must be replaced. The house sits on a concrete slab. My 93 year old mom lives with us - so natural stone or tile flooring is out of the question. I had thought about Duraceramic but am concerned about chipping and cracking. We also are considering Armalock by Armstrong - laminate flooring that looks like stone. It is a floating floor over a cushy layer. What kind of flooring would be best?

My neighbors just did this. They tore down an existing home and garage under 3000sf. I noticed they did make cuts and dig some new footings through some of the old foundation. Then they put the bracings for the new over 5000 sf foundation and indeed poured over. They only removed several smaller areas such as patios and the old garage floor, otherwise poured over existing. So, I believe it is possible. I was shocked they completely tore down the old. But they claimed the cost of the tear down was made up by the ease of building completely new rather then tying into the old. And all systems are brand new.

My old house (built around 1850) has a concrete slab floor in the basement and rock walls. We live in a swamp area, except we live in the highest point in the neighborhood ! (HAHA! those smart people!) When we bought the house I carefully went around it and made sure the grading was appropriate and fixed it where it wasn't. The only time we have problems now is when a gutter clogs. Then we go out and fix it and we are just fine. The gutters really do their job at keeping the basement dry however you need to keep up their maintanance. Once after a big rainstorm we found a nice river in the basement. We found that one of the gutter downspouts had clogged and all the water was just running into a huge hole the water had drilled next to the foundation. We fixed everything up and havent' had the same problem since. We also have a dehumidifier and a sump pump (that never kicks on but is there for emergencies! ) We will NEVER be able to store things like fabric or paper in our basement. That is just the way it is, however it sure is perfect for wine and canned goods!!! -renee