[Strawbale] Saskatchewan foundation

[paul sheraton]

What about  piles/posts buried in the ground, supporting a suspended wooden 
floor over the ground onto which the walls and building could be 
constructed?



>From: "Michael lough" <michaelklough at sympatico...>
>Reply-To: mkl18 at pobox...,        European strawbale building 
>discussions<strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
>To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
>Subject: [Strawbale] Saskatchewan foundation
>Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:40:02 +0000
>
>just a few thoughts Mark…
>
>Not sure if you need a permit for this job or not but if you do you
>might have to do what is required for the Sask. climate which does
>in fact have a frost line of around 5 feet deep? This is possibly
>even lower in some exposed locations. It gets quite cold there for
>quite some time?
>
>You say there is no rubble locally so a rubble trench is out of the
>question? As far as I know actual "rubble" is not often used, 3/4"
>gravel being more often used as "rubble". It is hard to believe that
>this is not available (or at least something else that would allow
>drainage). But perhaps the building site does not have a slope to
>drain water to daylight anyway?
>
>The bottom of a RTF  would have to have drainage to preclude any
>freezing of water collected there and consequent "heaving" But if
>you cant do this… You cant do this…
>
>If you allow that one way or another you have to connect to the
>frost free zone  (say 6 feet down) then what are the choices if you
>dont want to go the distance and excavate for a RTF or a brick or
>block foundation wall? Not many other than suspending the building
>on something that will reach down to  6 foot below grade? One way or
>another you have to excavate to a certain extent to below that frost
>line?
>
>Well this is my best shot. IF you do have a sloped site and the
>distance from the top of the trench to daylight drain opening six or
>so feet below  is not too far away requiring much labour then why
>not use a rock (boulder) filled trench and cap it with a grade beam
>concrete pour on top of the compacted rocks? This would give you the
>flat form for bales etc on top? The underside of the pour could use
>a cloth type restraining material which could be tucked in beteen
>the rock tops to stop the concrete (stiff mix) from dropping down
>inbetween the rocks and be pinned to the inside of the wooden forms with 
>2x1
>strapping. Use some rebar in this beam.  No slope? Do the same thing
>but use a "French" drain to a pit with a solar powered sump pump if
>a "mains" connection is not possible. If you use a pump then you
>possibly need not go down 6 feet if you used XPS say 2 feet down
>horizontally and one foot up from the bottom of the trench thats an
>insulated 3 feet deep trench with nothing to freeze in the bottom.
>Might work?
>
>If this is a non residential project not requiring a permit then it
>is possible you dont have a soil profile for the site? This could
>tell you if there is sufficient drainage on the site to not worry
>about a flash flood that will instantly freeze and heave your
>building? Maybe the rain justs heads straight down without stopping
>anywhere?
>
>best Michael
>
>
>
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