Quick Column Summary: Tar paper or 6 mil plastic vapor barrier Leave an air gap to avoid mold Video link Charles Gregoire is perplexed up in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. "Confusion on whether to use tar paper or 6 mil plastic. In repairing a 64" section of an existing basement interior wood framed dry Read More »
Quick Column Summary: Question a contractor about what he did/did not do Have great plans and specifications Keyways and steel rods in foundation Jonathan Smith is building a new home in Akron, OH. He went to look at the new footers and, well, allow him to tell you: "I'm building a new house, my contractor Read More »
Quick Column Summary: Walkout basement being built One wall will be framed and the others poured concrete The framed wall will be fine Better insulation and no structural issues Zhou (Joe) Yuan emailed me today with a fascinating question about his new home under construction that has a walkout basement: "I'm building a new house Read More »
How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 3 Tim demonstrates in this video, the magical cement paint and how to mix up strong and sticky stucco repair mix. It's all magic. This is the last video in the series. [Lynn asks] "How do you get the new stucco to stick to the crumbling stuff?" Okay Read More »
Tim Carter travels to Mt. Airy, MD to demonstrate to Lynn on a rainy day, how she'll repair her foundation. This is part two of a three-part video series. I'm back up on Lynn's front porch and it's raining. It's just crazy. Tomorrow is May 1st and I think I saw a glacier driving here. Read More »
How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 1 of 3 Watch this video to discover the process to fix your crumbling foundation or concrete steps or wall. This is Video One in a Three-Part series, as mentioned in the June 6, 2014 AsktheBuilder Weekend Warrior. I'm outside here at Lynn's and it's raining. I'm under Read More »
Quick Column Summary: Concrete wall crumbling away from foundation Fix it for $15 or less Link to repair column Brandon Stone, who hails from Moncton in the great maritime province of New Brunswick, Canada, is desperate. Here's why: "I have a concrete wall on my 40-year-old foundation that is crumbling. I was told it was built Read More »
A foundation doesn't always have to sit on ground. A shorter poured concrete wall can provide support as long as there is proper steel rods connecting the foundation walls.
Footers are a very important structural component of a house. In most cases, the footer is the only part of the house that touches the earth. Footers are commonly called spread footers because they spread the weight of the house over a wider area than if you just poured the foundation walls allowing them to touch the ground.
Concrete piers are vertical structural elements that support the weight of a building or structure. Their design and installation must consider the weight being supported and the frost line in your area. There are preformed concrete pier forms that provide you with the properly shaped concrete pier foundation.
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