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 ...
Karen wants more open space in her basement. It is possible to move and/or remove support posts, but it is not at all simple to do.First, the size of the beam above the posts is calculated by the weight above and the distance between the supports for the beam. If you move a post, you will most ...
Martin went to renovate his basement and discovered that he had rotten out 2x6's right in his concrete basement floor. He thought that they simply left the forms for the footing in place when they poured the floor slab. This sounded a bit strange so I sent him the first graphic above that shows ...
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...
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...
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...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Concrete Product: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating
Temperature Limitations: Water based products must be used above freezing -- Solvent based materials minimum -17 C (+1 F)
Rain L...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Concrete Product: Elastomeric Liquid Waterproofing Coatings
Temperature Limitations: Use above +10 C (+50 F) and below +32 C (+90 F)
Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours
Wind Limitations: ...
Frost Protected Shallow Foundations
The foundation for a house is generally poured below the soil grade level so that the footing itself is well below the frost depth for any given region and soil type. This protects the house from frost heaving caused by expanding soils beneath the foundation....
Hi Jon,
I have a driveway retaining wall that continues to be pushed by the ground, even though it is backed by gravel and drained to "nothing under the driveway" except crushed gravel. I realize proper drainage affects this somewhat, however would prefer not to cut open my driveway, sidewalk a...
