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Found 40 results for the keyword ‘Foundation’

  • Myths and misconceptions about concrete and water

    A comment from a reader:"I notice in your section on self leveling concrete that you mention about needing to let the water out before putting anything on top of the new compound. (Self Leveling Concrete) This is a common misconception about concrete, in fact the water does not leave, it becomes ...
  • Laying a Flagstone Walkway.

    Andy caught our camera in a store and asked about the proper preparation for a flagstone walkway.I always joke that patios and walkways are for the Southern US and decks are for the Northern US and Canada, simply because dealing with water and ice always complicates anything we try to do down on ...
  • Camouflaging a massive rock under the house.

    David in Victoria B.C. has a rather large rock problem. The house was built into a rocky hillside in 1912, and rather than remove the rock, the original builder simply built on top of it. That totally used up one corner of the basement, that David would now like to turn into an apartment for hi...
  • Patching massive concrete

    Marian from Baltimore Ontario has a big hole in her foundation wall where a steel 'I' beam was removed, as you can see in the photo she sent us. Her contractor filled it in with mortar and bricks. She would rather fill it with concrete.So we set up a block of concrete with a similar hole, and c...
  • What is that white stuff on my basement wall?

    Judy has a pretty messy basement wall and has had several expensive estimates for fixing it.It almost looks like a mould or a fungus growing out of it, starting at a definite line quite high up on the wall.When I looked through the window I could see that the white stuff was starting about a foot...
  • Insulating an old house and more.

    I don't often answer all the details of a long letter, especially not with the time constraints that we have on television. But Larry from Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia wrote such a coherent detailed letter about the 80 years old very cold home that he just bought that I thought I would just wade in...
  • A trench to divert water inside the basement.

    Brian from Cornwall, Ontario just bought a house and when it rains heavily, it flows in the basement. Someone recommended that he dig a trench inside the basement to drain the water away.First of all, see if simply landscaping sloping away from the house, and rain gutters and downspouts away fro...
  • Building on Newfoundland Rock.

    Most of us have houses on flat land or gentle slopes. Just how do you build those foundations that are hanging onto almost vertical clifts, like overlooking the harbour in St. John's, Newfoundland?We went out and visited my builder friend Aiden Duff to look at one bueatiful house where he drille...
  • Can I lower the floor of the basement?

    Tom from Thomasburg, Ontario writes: "I'm thinking about buying a house, however the basement has low ceilings. Is it possible to bust out the cement floor instead of jacking up the house?"Yes you can dig down, but you need to be aware of just how the soil under the house supports the house. Al...
  • Are insulated concrete forms a good way to build?

    Insulated Concrete Forms, or ICF construction, is a growing and viable way to build houses. Initially sold just to make insulated foundations, whole homes are now being built out of concrete because of these techniques. ICF actually stands for the whole field of pouring concrete into forms ...