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Foundation

Jul 12
Love0

How-To: Scribing Wood Post to Stone Foundation

By Carpentry, Timber Framing, Foundation

scribing wood to stone plinth

Several years ago, I learned how to scribe wood to stone and have been patiently waiting for the opportunity to implement this feature in my own building project. The premise is simple — copy the rough surface of a stone plinth to a wood post for a seamless fit. This gives the impression of a timber or wood post “growing” out of the stone foundation. It’s a beautiful look, used in old building foundations especially in the Japanese “ishibatate” style. 

The recent outdoor kitchen timber frame was the perfect chance to implement this technique. Here are the steps for scribing wood to a stone foundation.

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Dec 08
Love2

Slick Way to Anchor Wood Posts to Concrete

By Foundation, Timber Framing

Concrete Post Anchor

A common design question when working with wood posts and concrete (or stone) is: how do you anchor posts to the concrete? Honestly, if we’re talking about a large structure with a lot of weight, gravity does most of the work and you don’t need a specific connection. A concrete post anchor may be necessary in a variety of situations, however. Here is a particularly slick way to anchor wood posts to concrete using a very discrete piece of hardware.

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Aug 05
Love1

Straw Bale & Plaster Details Around a Foundation

By Clay Plaster, Straw Bale Building, Earthbag Building, Foundation
Plaster Stop at Bottom of Straw Bale Wall

Think about the transition between your straw bales and foundation early in the design process

In one of my recent posts, I talked about details at the top of the straw bale wall where it meets the roof. Now I’d like to talk about some considerations where the wall meets the foundation. This is another critical point in the straw bale wall design, and planning from the beginning of the process is essential for a clean and durable finish surface at the bottom of the wall. Here are some tips to think about regarding the plaster and details between the bales and foundation.

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May 24
Love1

Why We’re Building an Earthbag Stemwall

By Foundation, Straw Bale Building, Earthbag Building
Earthbag Stemwall

The earthbag stemwall goes in at the off-grid straw bale cabin site

To be really honest here, foundations are the least exciting part of any natural building project for me.  Most of the fun stuff like timber framing, building with straw bales, applying clay plaster, or building with cob represents the “glory” of the natural building world. Foundations don’t have the same sex appeal, for lack of a better phrase. However, a good foundation is one of the most important parts of a home.

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Jan 04
Love0

More Pier and Beam Foundation Design Images and Details

By Foundation, Timber Framing, Strawtron
Pier and Beam Foundation

The pier and beam foundation of our timber frame house

Earlier in the year, I discussed the idea of “replacing concrete with wood” in our pier and beam foundation design. For the construction of our timber frame house, we decided to go high and dry, and eliminate as much concrete as possible with this style foundation. I wanted to take this opportunity to go more in-depth about the plans for our pier and beam foundation, with a bunch of images to illustrate the design.

Read ahead more for details.

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Apr 09
Love0

Building a Concrete Pier Foundation For Our Straw Bale House: Part 2

By Foundation, Straw Bale Building, Strawtron
Concrete Pier Foundation

Time for the concrete pour for our foundation

Late last week, I wrote about the techniques for doing building layout with batter boards and the 3-4-5 triangle rule, in preparation for building a concrete pier foundation. (Actually, that method works well regardless of the foundation type.)

In part two, I’ll talk about how to work with concrete pour tubes and actually install the concrete piers. Check it out below! Read More

Apr 06
Love1
concrete pier foundation

Building a Concrete Pier Foundation for Our Straw Bale House: Part 1

By Strawtron, Foundation
concrete pier foundation

The completed concrete pier foundation

Two days ago, we completed the concrete pier foundation for our new straw bale house! Yahoo! In eight hours, and with pretty intense labor, we managed to get our holes dug, our concrete piers poured, and finally, revel in the excitement of having a finished foundation for our current house project.

In this first how-to article, I’ll describe how we prepared the site and transferred our foundation plan to the ground using batter board layout. I’ll also explain why we chose a concrete pier design for this building.

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May 29
Love0

Pier Foundation Designs for Straw Bale Timber Frame Homes

By Foundation, Timber Framing

This post is a call for help. I am seeking information, images, anything related to pier foundation design for straw bale timber frame homes.

I am specifically hoping for detailed accounts of how to construct a pier foundation of stone for a straw bale timber frame. Or even a wood pier foundation, if it’s actually possible.

We are planning to construct our new home on a pier foundation, and I cannot wrap my head completely around how to design the pier foundation, which we may use urbanite (broken concrete) to construct. I do not want the house to have ground contact, for fear of moisture wicking up into the structure. The house will likely have a pier foundation with insulated floor platform.

I am specifically interested in how far to dig down for the piers, if the stone foundation would better be continuous, or other recommendations. Any info./links are appreciated!