SB: Re: sb sustainable foundations

["N Leone" <nlpub@hotmail.com>]

Linda says:
>I would like to know if anyone knows of a site or a book that
>explores 'sustainable' foundations for buildings?

Hey Linda,

I'll add my two cents (or there-abouts) to what everyone else has said on 
the topic of sustainable foundations.  (With this disclaimer:  I have NO 
experience with building any of them.  At this point I'm in the 
research/design/permitting phase of my SB home.  I know notheeeeeng...)  
When I was researching foundation options for my design, the two that seemed 
the most sustainable to me (with 3ft frost depth) were Shallow Frost 
Protected and Rubble Trench. SFPFs don't go down to frost depth, thereby 
saving a lot of digging and concrete.  They use insulation around the heated 
space to effectively raise the frost depth.  RTFs involve a trench dug to 
frost depth and then filled with stone.  A concrete grade beam is poured on 
the top to stack the walls on.  Lots of digging, but not a lot of concrete.  
Neither, for obvious reasons, will work with a basement.

Since SFPF are part of code in most places (or at least here in Ohio), 
information on them is not too hard to come by.  Unfortunately, they require 
the space above them to be heated, which presented some problems for me, 
since my design contains both a greenhouse and a sunken in "cold room" for 
keeping my Dago Red at just the right temperature. ;) Mixing other types of 
foundations with a SFPF was a little more of a technical challenge than I - 
with my utter lack of knowledge in the field - was willing to undertake.

So I'm going for the rubble trench (except around the cold room/tornado 
shelter).  (Which I like better anyway, sharing Mr. Canadian Guy's concern 
about the foam board.)  The problem is that I've been able to find precious 
little in print on that type of foundation.  The most thorough published 
treatment I found on RTFs is a several page chapter in a book called 
something like "Foundations and Concrete Work" published by Fine 
Homebuilding magazine.  (I think, let me know if you can't track it down...) 
  Other than that, most of my information on RTFs came from the 
archives/recent threads of this discussion group.  (Special thanks to 
Speirag in NH.  Your postings were very helpful.  Sorry if I misspelled your 
name.)  One tidbit that I got from the archives that the article doesn't 
mention is lining the trench with filter fabric to keep soil from eventually 
filling the gaps between the rubble.

Hope it helps.

Nick
Way behind.  As usual.

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