KUN Build Week_14
Build Week 14: Foundation Preparation
Now that our foundation is dug out to where it needs to be, there is still plenty to do to get it ready before the concrete slab foundation gets poured. This week required some extra long days to get it ready in time.
Week of November 19 - Days 25, 26 & 27
As we mentioned last week, our foundation consists of multiple layers in order to keep our building insulated, protected from radon, and energy efficient. The first of those layers was four inches of gravel on top of our densely packed ground. That was able to go in after our concrete forms were put into place over the weekend.
The next layer was our foam. Under our support walls we put four inches of geofoam to insulate as well as bear the weight of the building. This was located around the perimeter of the building as well as the main interior walls in our thickened slabs. Everywhere else we put eight inches of EPS. It required a lot of adjustments of both the gravel and the dirt below to get the foam level and positioned correctly.
While these layers were going in, so was our plumbing. We had help from JD Mason and Marcus Stevens from Innovative Plumbing who came in and helped us get it right on the first try. They taught us tons of tricks and saved the day. We passed our plumbing inspection the next day with flying colors!
On top of the foam we put down a membrane to trap any radon that will seep through the ground. The gravel and membrane will channel the radon through a pipe and out of the building. Once the membrane was in, we started assembling the rebar grid to keep the concrete strong once it is in place. The guys who will pour the concrete were awesome to step in and help us get all of the rebar in place and tied together.
The last layer was the radiant heating on top of the rebar. It was a mad dash to get this in since the day was ending and the sun was down. It was a great team effort to get it done and it is looking great! We have three zones in our radiant system, the bedroom, the bathroom, and the living/kitchen.