We finally completed the third section of the foundation insulation on the south “Trombe wall”side of the house. Another project completed due to guests arriving. This was the third section and it was a bit more complicated due to the foundation underpinning that the previous owners had installed. More modern supports are turned like screws but these were pushed in with a hydraulic ram.
This type of underpinning is to shore up a sinking foundation and was an “expert’s” solution to the sinking slab. Of course I later found that the slab damage was due to the heaving soil inside the foundation and the foundation itself was a sturdy cassion type. So the steel posts did not solve the problem even though they were probably expensive.
The first part of this section of the foundation was finished in December before it got cold. The second part had the trench dug but there it sat for six months waiting for us to get back to the task. Preparing for our guests made it essential to smooth out the dirt piles in front of the house.
That meant digging out any dirt that had slid back into the hole and cutting more XPS blue board to replace the damaged insulation. On the far right is a bit of the wall that was already finished. The foundation had 2 layers of XPS so we just had to cut and fit the missing pieces. The 4” of XPS would be an R value of about 10 plus the foundation now has 2 inches of interior XPS and 8” of concrete for a total R value of about 16.
The insulation had to be pieced between the metal posts so it took some time to get it all cut. My son came over to help with the project which made the work go faster.
Once it was all pieced together it was time to cut the fiberglass corners for the cap. The fiberglass is recycled from the brewery where they were used to reinforce the corners of pallets of beer. I purchased them at an auction at my favorite recycle center Repurposed Materials.
I had to cut the fiberglass to span the metal flat tops of the posts in the ground. I used a handheld circular saw to cut the fiberglass. The caps had a bit cut from the edge too so that the fit against the top of the concrete wall and over the insulation protecting it from damage and creating a nice curb at the foundation edge.
Finally the dirt that had been piled up for months in front of the house filled in the trench and was smoothed out on front of the house.
The next step is cleaning up the wall and repairing the metal membrane. The wood may need another coat of matte black enamel paint. Then we will replace the Trombe wall glass.