Category Archives: Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil

Solution for our expansive soil problem.

Radon Proof Sump Cover

Posted on November 6, 2017 by ellen

When we demoed the slab floor we saw that drain pipes were connected from the outside perimeter foundation of the house into the sump tank. We seldom saw water in the sump tank so we were not sure the system … Continue reading →

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Siding Rainscreen

Posted on November 9, 2015 by ellen

Building Science experts recommend a rainscreen layer between siding and the house wrap to protect the house wrap and siding from holding moisture and allow for evaporation of moisture that penetrates the siding. This rainscreen layer incorporates a drainage plane … Continue reading →

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Leaks!

Posted on May 11, 2015 by ellen

Oh no, more leaks. We had literally weeks of rain in our normally dry climate. Our rain gauge registered almost 3 inches more than once. On one particularly stormy day last week we began to see water penetration. We heard … Continue reading →

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Videos of the Concrete Pour

Posted on May 17, 2013 by ellen

  I’ve been taking a few videos of parts of the construction progress. I used iMovie to create files that are small enough to load here. These are “mobile” size snippets of the concrete pour. I’m one day off on … Continue reading →

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De Floor, de floor!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by ellen

The concrete was poured on March 18th after six months of work by Alberto’s crew to remove the old concrete and dig out for the waffle boxes. Then the installation of the vapor barrier and the boxes, the insulation, the … Continue reading →

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Really Rebar

Posted on March 29, 2013 by ellen

The engineering plan from Crown Jade uses rebar instead of post tensioning cable to reinforce the concrete in the floor. The computer program that the engineers used to design the floor system was a Post Tensioning Insitute product. Post Tensioning … Continue reading →

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Crown Jade Engineering Drawings

Posted on January 21, 2013 by ellen

Mark Benjamin of Crown Jade Engineering delivered the final plan for the Waffle Mat system just was the plastic vapor barrier was being installed. The plan is engineered with the PSI concrete standards using a PSI computer program that took … Continue reading →

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HP Geotech Geotechnical Engineering Study

Posted on December 9, 2012 by ellen

We wanted this house even though it was not in great shape. We knew we had to figure out why the slab had cracked so badly and repour a slab that would not have the same damage in the future. … Continue reading →

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HP Geotech

Posted on November 17, 2012 by ellen

I asked the Asbestos test engineer, Rick Luce, for a recommendation for a soils engineer, as he had mentioned that he worked with several and would give me a recommendation when the time came. He recommended Alan Lisowy at HP … Continue reading →

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Waffle Mat Slab

Posted on November 17, 2012 by ellen

The Waffle Mat system uses 19 1/2″ X 19 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ recycled plastic boxes. The boxes have a rim on two sides and can be used in sets of 4 or individually depending on the design. I decided … Continue reading →

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Crown Jade Design and Engineering

Posted on November 17, 2012 by ellen

At Greg’s strong recommendation, I decided to seek out a structural engineer who would be willing to take care of the specific design using WaffleMat for our installation. The person I chose had presented at a USGBC event as a … Continue reading →

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Waffle Mat!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by ellen

While researching issues with slabs on grade and expansive soils, I found this very interesting solution to building a mat (raft) slab. Originally invented by Matt Gonsalves, the boxes are still manufactured by the family’s Conco Corporation. There are a … Continue reading →

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An Engineered Solution

Posted on November 16, 2012 by ellen

The slab was the major issue that made this house virtually unsellable. Like most foreclosures, the house suffered from years of delayed maintenance, like peeling paint on the windowsills, and broken glass in some of the windows. Once it was … Continue reading →

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