Insulated Slab Foundation

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[Perfectguns]

We have been insulating our slab with high density foam and laying a vapour barrier on top to stop radon for years in the north.

[Firestorm]

I own a steel frame quad level house with 6 inch commercial floor pours. I love the strength of steel vs wood. Walls are true with no noise with high winds. I wish more steel frame homes that are recyclable. Enjoy your build

[pcatful]

The detail you go into and the attention to detail is incredible.

[joshuaszeto]

That is a really big home! I would love to see regular update videos and see how it progresses.

[ncbarndobuild]

Getting ready to do something very similar in NC. Foundation with stem wall and slab poured inside the foundation. Concrete guys here think I am crazy. Glad to see this video. Thanks Matt!

[nrao]

"Board form concrete" is also called "Exposed concrete" - made famous by French architect le Corbusier. Used extensively in Indian city of Chandigarh, Punjab (1951). Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, architect Louis Kahn, also used exposed concrete extensively. Old stuff.

Need to treat the surface of exposed concrete so that in humid weather - like Austin, TX - moss, fungus growth is restricted. Else it looks very ugle.

[SirPoofyPants]

Having rebar in the center doesn’t add strength. You want it in the tension zone, which will be towards the bottom or top, depending on your loading.
Lifting the rebar on chairs instead gives your tensile reinforcement a protective concrete cover from moisture. Concrete inevitably cracks at the tension face. So you want cover so that the micro cracks don’t allow the rebar to become exposed.

[ruelsmith]

I work in commercial construction in Ohio/Kentucky and this is the way all slabs are poured. Usually it gets 6 inches of compacted gravel with 1-1/2 to 2 inch pink foam insulation and a plastic vapor barrier on top of it and rebar and a wire mesh on top of all that. They also put foam around the perimeter of the foundation below grade.

[SequoiaElisabeth]

Wow, what an impressive house. I love the decoupled concept for flooring and the heat sink will be a blessing.

[HistoricHomePlans]

Matt - A whole episode on termite strategies would be great. You've covered it in bits and pieces in other videos. With our climate warming we're seeing termites farther and farther north. Soon the entire country will be needing to take these precautions.

[NSResponder]

9:15 you don't want the rebar in the center of the concrete, you want it about 1/3 up from the bottom. If it's in the center it won't help much to prevent cracking.

[nemo]

Here, Monterey Bay coast, we bought our new house in 1970, slab floor. It's very quiet, warm enough, never cold, carpeted and it is practically ideal for our climate. If I was going to build a new home I would build with a concrete slab on grade.

[pin]

I'll have to keep that Milwaukee vibrator in mind come Valentines day.

[fernandoserrano]

The insulation on the floor will keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I live near Dallas and the floor is warm in the summer and cold in the winter. The apartment floor was very cold during the February freeze and I had to raise the thermostat temperature as a lot of heat was lost through the floor.

[angeloc]

Lake Flato is an excellent architect. Lucky clients for sure!!

[apscoradiales]

Matt, do you have a section detail at the intersection of perimeter grade beam and the slab?
A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say.

[Oldguard_]

I would love to see the finished build, look forward to you content Matt thank you!

[daniellivingston]

Started using Teri-Mesh in Hawaii in early 1990's along with specialized training by Portland Cement. If memory serves, first in Hawaii. Appreciate Matt in keeping up others informed of great products.

[infiniteadam]

These days I think its wise to have the slab at least 2 feet above grade, just incase of flooding. I can't believe they got 17 inches of rain from one storm in Tennessee this week, the weather seems to be getting more intense...

[MJ-pybm]

The house is well built. I’m proud of you. You are building a house best possible way for the client….. they should be very happy.