Radiant floor heating system

Foundation insulation and waterproofing

Truckload of insulation

Fill 'er up

Installing rebar

Foundations are done

The foundations were poured last Friday without incident.  We used a concrete mix design with a high percentage of fly ash.  This power plant waste product acts as a lubricant to make concrete slipperier when poured into the forms.  The technology has been around since ancient Rome (volcanic ash); however fly ash has recently been determined to be toxic.  Fly ash is not a problem as long as it remains in place, but if the home is ever torn down, it may require remediation efforts. 

The insulation that arrived was a little the worse for wear.  We received a 53’ semi-trailer with 12 pallets of 1” insulation stacked about 8’ high.  It took three of us an hour to unload and stack the material, consuming a large portion of the site.  About 10% of the material was unevenly extruded, or not cut to exact widths or lengths.  We used this material in areas where it made the least difference, saving the better material where performance and appearance are more critical.  Much of it could be cut off to fit as needed, but clearly additional labor is required for this option.  There is a significant first cost savings if you have the sweat equity to invest in cutting and fitting.

The plumbers and HVAC contractors got their sleeves in the wall.  We installed the footing drains, sump crock, and most of the waterproofing.  Reality struck when we attempted to use the rubber roofing for the waterproofing that I speculated on last week.  The rubber EPDM membrane was extremely heavy, the age was indeterminate, holes were not detectable, and we only have one opportunity to get the waterproofing on the foundation walls right.    We will be using the used membrane roofing for the rainwater harvesting system which is easily accessible, and minor leakage poses no risk.  

We opted instead to install a rubberized membrane with self adhesive properties.  This over an additional two inches of insulation that we fastened to the ICF forms with 4” screws and fender washers.  We will install another one inch of insulation over the top of the waterproofing to act as a protection board against damage from backfilling the basement.  This will provide us with the total R value of 38 that our energy model requires. 

We installed a 10 mill plastic vapor barrier on the basement floor that will also act as a radon barrier.  The 10 mil plastic is also reputed to last longer than the standard 6 mil vapor barrier.  Our energy model showed us that we need 8” of rigid insulation under the slab in the basement.  The 8” of insulation went on top of the plastic, and we stapled a 5/8” Pex (plastic) pipe on top of the insulation for our radiant floor heating system.  We should be able to finish installing the basement insulation and radiant floor heating in time to pour the concrete slab on Monday.

Selecting the site

When the last of our kids left home, we started looking to downsize our living arrangements.  We have always been avid nature lovers, and having lived in the city since the 70’s, we were looking for a little more elbow room.   We spent about a year of Sunday drives looking for a likely place to call home.  

The site we ended up with backs up to a wilderness area of a county park our family has enjoyed for years.  Last year a rehabilitated juvenile eagle was re-introduced to the wild at this park, joining a nesting pair in the area. It is about 400’ from the Flat River where it changes from a nice trout stream to the backwater of a power company reservoir.  It is near the end of a cul-de-sac limiting traffic to a trickle.

We purchased just under five acres.  The property was last actively farmed in the 1930’s as a pig farm, and is bounded on the north and east with 60’ red pines.  The remaining ground has filled in over the intervening years with elm, maple, oak, black cherry, red pine, white pine, scotch pine, cedar, jack pine, and sassafras.  We have a couple of nice stands of staghorn sumac, and a surfeit of autumn olive which seems to have found ideal growing conditions. 

The previous owners had cleared a large area in the center of the lot which is in native meadow grasses and flowers.  We have a few invasive species that we will weed out over time including Canadian goldenrod, knapweed, and the autumn olive.  We do have wild strawberries, thimbleberries, big bluestem, poison ivy, and purple love grass which leaves a purple/blue haze over the meadow when in seed. 

Among the fauna we have seen: a dozen deer swarming the site, the eagle pair, an osprey, many songbirds, fox, woodchuck, the mother of all raccoons, a small skunk, rabbit, and several frogs, turtles and snakes. 

This only brings us to the why.  This site location defies every other instinct for sustainable building.  We will no longer enjoy the assault of city noises, or light pollution.  We will be located about four miles out of a small town with all of the requisite life support services.  We will not experience any greater commuting time than what we had as city residents. 

We will also be installing a large garden and perhaps failing miserably as farmers, but we both have a hankering to get our fingers dirty.  I figure the critters get a share, we get a share, and anything else we produce in excess of our needs we will send to the food bank.

Which brings us to the topic of chickens and goats.  I half jokingly mentioned to my wife that I would like chickens and goats.  The goats to keep the grass mowed, and the chickens for pest control, eggs, and soil amendments.  I inserted images of them on some early building elevations, and they refuse to go away much to my wife’s horror.  The land is zoned Rural Agricultural, and as such we are entitled to retain 4 cows, 4 horses, 9 pigs, 9 sheep, 9 goats, and 97 chickens.  She is sure we will just be baiting in the local carnivores.  I will keep you posted.