Building a House with Wood

[D.B. Cooper]

Poured cement.

So you recommend not doing full foam?

Correct. But I do like the insulated concrete foam foundation. It's well insulated and allows for deep window sills.

 

[Campgottagopee]

FWIW, trust your contactor's advise. Builders in the north country know best, imo. I think a person could go crazy in over-building.

 

[Ripitz]

It looks to me like you could add those in a few hours, and the parts couldn't cost that much.

Nothing takes a few hours.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Radon map of NY:

About 5 years ago the state had a program where they sent you a hockey puck sized thing that trapped radon. You put it in the deepest bowels of your basement and then sent it back for analysis. They would then send a reading of your radon level. I think you paid for shipping. Maybe $10 in total.

We put a layer of plastic under the basement floor in our old house and got an extremely low rating. But no idea if there was radon before that.

Does that work? Radon is radioactive, so I imagine the plastic would keep it out for only so long.

 

[Harvey]

Does that work? Radon is radioactive, so I imagine the plastic would keep it out for only so long.

We did it for moisture not radon. We also measured with a hockey puck.

 

[Harvey]

FWIW, trust your contactor's advise. Builders in the north country know best, imo. I think a person could go crazy in over-building.

Ultimately I will.

 

[Tjf1967]

What does this mean?

My builder is pretty insistent. He is against making a house so air tight it needs a system to bring in fresh air.

If you look at my original post you'll see I was asking about a cost effective way to create a thermal break.

Radon map of NY:

View attachment 20700

We put a layer of plastic under the basement floor in our old house and got an extremely low rating. But no idea if there was radon before that.

A system to bring in fresh air is called a window. Just saying. Over insulating now if relatively cheap compared to chasing it after it is built.

 

[Tjf1967]

I didn't pay attention when they put the windows in at my house. F'rs did a horrible job insulating around them. The best windows in the world will disappoint if they slap them in and not insulate around them. When I put new windows in my apartment house I watched them like a hawk and they work the nuts.

 

[Harvey]

I didn't pay attention when they put the windows in at my house. F'rs did a horrible job insulating around them. The best windows in the world will disappoint if they slap them in and not insulate around them. When I put new windows in my apartment house I watched them like a hawk and they work the nuts.

This is why I want to live there while it's going down.

 

[Harvey]

This project is as much about keeping the builder on my side as anything. If he thinks I'm a stupid ass know it all flatlander it won't go well. When he is insistent, I relent. When there is a choice for me, he lets me know.