Building Foundations

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  No-Leak Membrane for Concrete Footings

  The Delta Footing Barrier is a three-ply impermeable membrane that goes on top of freshly poured footings before the foundation is built.

   

• Adding a Point Load to a Post-Tensioned Foundation (Subscriber content)

  Q: When making structural changes that involve adding a point load to a house built on a post-tensioned concrete slab, is it necessary to add a footing for a structural post? I'm concerned that cutting through the slab to pour a pad footing could sever on

   
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  Stabilizing a Hillside Foundation (Subscriber content)

  Helical piers anchor a house on a sliding slope.

   

• Port of Miami Tunnel Project Gears Up to Go

   
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  Permanent Wood Foundations

  Pressure-treated wood foundations (also known as permanent wood foundations, or PWFs) have been around at least since the 1940s, and my own experience with them dates back 20 years or so.

   
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  Seal Seams In Crawlspace Liners (Subscriber content)

  The crawlspace of a home was consistently wet — in spite of the 6-mil poly liner. Here's how a builder fixed it to assure long-term durability of the foundation and floor frame.

   
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  Replacing a Slab Foundation (Subscriber content)

  When the original builder flubs a foundation, someone else has to clean up the mess.

   
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  TVA-ORNL Project Provides a Window on the Payback of Energy Upgrades

  Study finds that modest upgrades in insualtion and HVAC equipment dramatically reduce energy use in warm, humid climates.

   
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  Pop Quiz

  Walter Moreau is executive director of Foundation Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Austin, Texas.

   
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  Super-Insulated Slab Foundations (Subscriber content)

  Compacted drainage stone and a thick layer of foam prevent frost damage and keep the heat inside the building.

   
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  Foundation for a Problem Site (Subscriber content)

  A carefully engineered foundation and alternative septic system add value to a bargain-priced lot.

   
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  Dry Wall

  Cosella-Dörken’s three-ply Delta Footing Barrier keeps groundwater out of walls by providing a waterproof break between a building’s footing and its foundation

   

• Pop Quiz - Walter Moreau

  Walter Moreau is executive director of Foundation Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Austin, Texas.

   

• 300 Units in Chicago Preserved

  CHICAGO—Mercy Housing Lakefront is leveraging $68 million to rehabilitate and preserve two apartment developments in the city’s Uptown community.

   

• MacArthur Foundation Awards $6 Million toHousing Research

  he critical ways that housing matters to children, families, and communities will be explored in 13 separate research projects funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

   

• Q&A: Tree Roots and Foundation Cracks

  Q: Can the roots of a tree actually dry out the soil beneath a foundation enough to cause the concrete to crack?

   
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  Framing a 16-Sided Addition (Subscriber content)

  Accuracy in laying out and building the foundation helped keep the rest of the job on track .

   
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  Q&A: Attaching Deck Ledgers to I-Joist Cantilevers

  Q: When I-joists are cantilevered over the foundation wall rather than directly supported at the sill plate, can a deck ledger be safely attached to the engineered rim joist?

   

• Q&A: Mudsills and Out-of-Level Foundations

  Q: Recently we contracted to do a house with precast foundation walls that were set out of level - up to 3/4 inch over 30 feet, in some places. What's the best way to shim and air-seal the mudsill?

   
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  Replacing a Stone Foundation

  The trick was holding up the roof while leaving plenty of room to work.