Just to chime in. Back to Raleigh where one of the posters had insulated under the slab. This seems unusual. While it may help slightly in the winter, it probably hurts an equal amount in the summer. Either way - not much of an issue but why would you go through the expense. Raleigh is roughly an equal cost heating and a/c (depending on design of house and how you heat) climate. The foam under the slab reduces the natural cooling of the basement by the earth. My walkout basement with 150 sq ft of windows was never above 84 or below 50 before I finished it - and that was before air sealing. I think with air sealing (prior to HVAC), it would have been between 55 and 80 year round. As far as moisture, I just know that I have been in many moldy smelling basements in the area. My builder's never smell and he doesn't use foam under the slab. I think the key here is ground sloping and siting rather than under floor moisture migration but this issue has to be incredibly local. I have to imagine in Ontario, some underslab insulation is in order. But, if the space is part time heated, it may not be a big deal. If you have NG and just use the space 10 hrs a week, then we are talking pennies in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it might help a tiny bit with duct losses but again pennies.

Has anyone from this post installed Neolith slab countertops in the north NJ area? I recently reached out to the local Neolith distributor in my area, HG Stones, to get a quote on replacing our current granite countertops (35 sq. ft) and backsplash (32 sq. ft). HG Stones referred to me to one of their local partners to coordinate an estimate/fabrication/install. For 12mm polished Estatuario countertop with mitered edge and 6mm backsplash I was quoted just over $11k for the job; does this seem about right to you (~$167 / sq ft, installed)? Also, can I be confident that the partner they referred me to is skilled in Neolith fabrication/installation or should I go back and try to work with HG Stones, the local Neolith distributor in my area (per Neotlith's website), directly? My last question: Neolith appears to have a 20mm thickness slab product out now. Has anyone see or had this thickness installed? How's it hold up/compare to the 12mm version?

Thanks everyone. We are just as shocked. We had no reason to think our plan wasn't being followed. The basement is a disaster (and sadly can't be fixed). We specified 10' ceilings (so one day when finished, they would be 9'), we found the ceiling is 8'11" (we're told this is because they only had 9' forms, but no one told us that before or during the work, only after when we brought a tape measure in and complained), the small concrete walls were only supposed to be 18" high on our plan (so the windows would be very tall)- we just found out they are 36" (also they were specified as 6" thick and were poured as 10" thick which cost us extra money!). The door was suppose to be roughly centered on the wall, it was put in the corner (we were told this had to do with drainage). The corner where both the doors are roughed in does have a frost wall so that one section is ok, but the plan showed the entire grade for the back wall to be level with the door, which meant a frost wall all along the back and side. We only just realized yesterday that this was not the case. We are so stressed out and frustrated and we have no idea what to do now. The project is construction management so it is tricky. It seems like the project manager might have told the workers to do it this way without first consulting us (and of course we would have said no!) I do think we need to bring in a landscape architect- sadly this wasn't in the budget so not sure how we will manage it but at this point I am assuming we have no other option. I posted on the landscape forum hoping someone might have just a rough idea on a way to make this yard work but they also said to get a professional (which I figured we would do anyways, but I was hoping there was a chance someone might have some idea that would at least give us some comfort until we talk to a professional). Ilovered- thanks :) I always second guess the house/floorplan etc. so I am happy to hear you like it (well, at least what the plan was- we'll see how the actual thing turns out). I got a lot of help from gardenweb lookintomyeyes83- not sure if that foam would work- from the picture the cement is still under dirt. I will try to google it and see if there's a chance. We're in NY so the winters are pretty cold and wet. Here was the plan showing the frost wall (at least that's what I think the dotted lines are since they specify 3'6"), also the planned grade is on there too Here is the foundation work Apparently that large hole was where they put the frost wall (only under the door areas). We are meeting with the manager Sunday but we have no idea how to even approach this with him. He plays dumb when we try to explain things.

You are all amazing. Thank you so much for your input! I believe you've answered my question about cost savings. I do believe you've convinced us to stick with the basement. So a little more information and reasoning for this layout, which I agree is a little different.... We're in our mid thirties and we have 3 young daughters. We live in a split level with garage below, and I gotta say, it's not my favorite setup. Unloading kids and carrying everything upstairs is hard. He's a farmer with a wide array of hobbies including hunting, skiing and camping, and there's a lot of crap that goes along with those things. I'm a simple woman with few passions other than working full time, raising babies, taking care of chickens and making soap. Our current yard is a steep hill with our home in close proximity to a busy highway. My girls will never be able to ride a bike or play with a ball at this property. So we desire the following in a home: Accessible main level for aging parents and of course for us in the future. The front entrance of our plan has a concrete sidewalk ramp. Attached garage on main level with plenty of space for farm truck, SUV, his old Camaro, ranger, mower, saws, tools and a workbench. A decent sized mudroom/ laundry room. Four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. I'm thinking of 3 teen girls getting ready in the future. Walk in pantry. I have home canned goods and canning supplies. It'd be nice to have space for that. A secondary living room. I want this to be a romper space for my growing kids, their cousins and friends. The less breakable things, the better, in my mind! I see a lot of movie watching happening here, and a windowless den would be fabulous. A second kitchen for entertaining, which we do quite often, and for soap making. This is a messy hobby that also comes with a lot of stuff that takes up space. The craft room and hunting rooms.. these are on my wish list. That whole end of the basement could just remain unfinished storage. But how nice it would be to have designated space for his hobbies and mine. Really, I'm okay with no windows in those rooms! Anyway, we've put a ton of thought into these plans. It is essentially a whole other home in the basement which I know is a lot of expense, but something I'd like to explore at least. Thank you again for answering my questions! our current home :)