Foundations

• 

  Framing a 16-Sided Addition (Subscriber content)

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

   

• 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?

   
• 

  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?

   

• Q&A: Insulating a Radiant Slab

  Q: How much insulation is necessary under a typical basement radiant slab?

   
• 

  Replacing a Stone Foundation

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

   

• Foundation Returns to Green Basics

  AUSTIN, TEXAS—Contractors for Foundation Communities are getting out their caulking guns— the nonprofit plans to make 1,800 of the affordable apartments it owns and manages more energy efficient.

   

• Installing an Egress Window in an Existing Foundation (Subscriber content)

  With the right equipment, you can cut the opening and install the well in a day.

   

• Block Foundations for Small Additions (Subscriber content)

  If your crew has the skill and you own the right equipment, it may make sense to lay your own masonry foundations.

   

• MacArthur Foundation Names New President

  Robert Gallucci, dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, will take over as president of the MacArthur Foundation on July 1.

   
• 

  Adding to an Existing Slab Foundation (Subscriber content)

  An engineered schedule of epoxied rebar pins reinforces the joints.

   

• Q&A: Are Windows Required in Basements?

  Q: We’d like to start building basements with precast concrete panels, but we’ve been running into resistance from local code officials. Are basement windows required when a house is built with a full foundation?

   

• Q&A: New Deck Footings Near an Old Foundation

  Q. Plans for a freestanding deck call for new piers about 2 feet from the house foundation. Is it necessary to dig down to the bottom of the house's footing to reach undisturbed soil, or would the dirt around the foundation of a 60-year-old house be compacted enough to be con sidered undisturbed -...

   

• Acid Staining a Concrete Floor (Subscriber content)

  With careful preparation, this treatment gives a custom touch to a plain-Jane slab.

   
• 

  Backfill: Welcome to Your Future

  touch to a plain-Jane slab.

   

• The Natural

  The defining moment of Jennifer Daughtrey Hicks' career in affordable housing happened one summer when she lived on the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets in San Francisco.

   
• 

  Concrete Houses for the Coast

  Hurricane Katrina taught a valuable lesson: the only houses likely to survive the ravages of a major hurricane are made of concrete. Dave Pfanmiller, a custom-home builder in Gulfport, Miss., uses Wall Ties aluminum concrete forms to build these homes on the Gulf Coast. Pfanmiller and his friend...

   

• Legal: Cleaning the Slate (Subscriber content)

  Cleaning the slate

   

• Q&A: Concrete Without Steel?

  Q: Does the addition of fibers eliminate the need for steel in a concrete-slab basement floor?

   
• 

  Gluing Wood Flooring to Concrete (Subscriber content)

  A successful job starts with a moisture test.