Insulated Slab on Grade Foundations (For Architects + Builders)
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- Опубликовано: 30 май 2024
- Insulating slab on grade foundations isn’t complicated, but for some reason we tend to get it wrong, at least in cooler climates. Concrete is a thermal mass, and tends to absorb heat as well as cold temperatures. If the ground below the slab is 45-50 degrees, what temperature do you think the surface of your uninsulated slab floor will be? I’ll save you the math, it’s cold and can be extremely uncomfortable if you tend to walk around your home barefoot or in socks, even if you’re heating your interior. People who live in homes with crawlspaces or basements don’t have this problem. We need to be thermally uncoupling slab on grade floors, not only to save on our energy bills, but to maximize comfort within our homes. In this video, we discuss 5 different options for a fully insulated concrete slab on grade foundation for new construction.
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*Read the full article on insulating slab on grade foundations here:* asiri-designs.com/resources-1/f/insulating-slab-on-grade-foundations
Great video--one suggestion--get rid of the stupid music---it is distracting!
Great explanation! I am a DIY hobbyist, and I am always very interested in the theory of building. I have never come across such well-summarized explanation videos. Additionally, with every video posted, I also have to conclude that my house, unfortunately, was not built to these standards. I will definitely use these videos as a reference for future DIY projects. Thank you so much and KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
I'm so glad to hear it was helpful! Hoping to cover the niche fairly broadly to address common design/construction mistakes that can result in failures. Stay tuned for more!
This is the most clean details we've come across. Amazing work. It's evident that you're really capable in the field. Any builder that would have you on their project would be blessed.
With increasing prices for sheets of rigid insulating foam reaching above $70 per 4x8 piece, and calling for double layer, it is possible that a +25 psi spray foam product can be developed and utilized under a concrete slab and utilized on the foundation wall as well. Add to the sheet cost the time to cut and assemble, eliminating “iceberging” and eliminating expensive hard to handle adhesive sealer tape, and benefits of an air tight seal around pipes, columns and other openings… the cost of dense spray foam might be less overall than rigid sheets… and the cure time of the spray foam could save additional time before concrete pour, or reduce costs of flashing on sills or around perimeter junctions.spray foam application over compressed crushed rock would level well and help consolidate the compressed mass. I predict the application of dense spray foam will become common practice in the near future.
Couldn’t you use closed cell foam?
Really? Where im from your typical underfloor polystyrene pack of 0,72m3 (thats 7,2m2 (77,5sq.ft) in 100mm (4") thickness) costs 60 dollars
There is a video I watched where they did exactly that. Apparently they were in Alaska.
Wow! tonnes of useful info packed tight in a short time. Thumbs up.
Wow so much important and detailed informations ...thank's , but why the annoying unnecessary music !?
Very nice and compact video that is well insulated from unneeded and lengthy details :) I was about to ask you for the source document but then I saw it pinned to this video. Thank you very much.
Please provide this detail for a full excavated basement, with Zip R. I am struggling with where to put the wall insulation (inside or outside). I do not like the idea of trying to match insulation thickness with sheathing thickness (and/or overhang). This is also complicated for homes with both brick and siding facades. With Zip R type sheathing (or equivalent) soon to be the norm, I think that dealing with the aesthetics of a continuous insulation barrier is going to be challenging.
We always do this. We use Rockwool Comfortboard and a woven vapor barrier so rebar or re-mesh doesn't easily puncture it. We have also used closed-cell spray foam under the slab with great success. We have major termite and carpenter ant issues here, so we often add diatomaceous earth and/or a heavy dusting of concrete onto the gravel before spray foaming.
Definitely going with the last option. Thanks
Thanking you for such a great explanation of maximum
cases.
Great video. I insulated my block piers and under my floating slab. I have a passive solar design so trying to take advantage of thermal mass in the floor.
Thank you for sharing! Great information!
In the south slab staying ground temp is helpful
Thanks. I’m following for useful info. I’m researching a home build
Thank you for this. I cannot get my head away from the last option. All the others have far less thermal mass which bothers me. In a non cold climate you could also put an uninsulated slab on grade and seal it, then lay a timber floor over it with insulation in it, but this has no thermal mass.
After compaction and setting all plumbing and electrical for the slab, I termite treat the soil, cover with 15 mil plastic, overlap joints 12", tape joints, then spray foam the entire area, set rebar, and then pour a monolithic slab.
This is a fantastic method as well, you see this strategy a lot in the Northeastern US.
Extremely detailed explanation and very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you for watching! Glad it was helpful!
So for a tropical climate like central America's, the first strategy would be most beneficial, if I understood correctly. Really good stuff, thanks for sharing ASIRI Designs!
This is a great breakdown on how to install these kinds of slabs. What would change with a heated concrete floor?
GREAT video - until now I could not feel comfortable with slab on grade but the system described in last part of video. I wonder if spray foam could come in here rather than fitting the foam boards.
Great video and good stuff! Thanks. Now for the last assembly (frost protected shallow foundation, or FPSF), what about using a “reverse monoslab” assembly? I saw this assembly on Bondo Built’s channel and it certainly piqued my interest. 8-12” of graded & compacted crushed (clean) stone, then put 2-4” of XPS foam on top of that, then bring in 8-10” of crusher-run mix (1” stone with fines) in the middle, such that your footer is 12-16” thick and your interior floor slab is 4-6” (or whatever is specified). It seems like it’s a much easier way to ensure continuous foam coverage around the haunch and turn-down. The sidewall foam detail and sloping below grade curtain is the same.
I lived in a slab on grade house for 3 years. I much prefer a basement. Lots of storage, great spot for the utilities and a better built house overall. And isn't the standard a Frost Protected Shallow Foundation? The Scandinavians developed that didn't they?
Good clean and sensible insulating details. In the PNW our energy code only requires 2" or R-10 rigid under heated space SOG. However, from personal experience, I would use at least the 4" as you have detailed because 2" still leaves you with cold floors. Also typical is to install the vertical R-10 to the inside of the stem wall with a 45 degree angle cut at the surface rather than ledgering the insulation into the stem wall but I can see the benefits to your detail.
Thanks for watching, and well said! You could absolutely bevel cut the rigid insulation on the interior skirt if you wanted a smoother transition between floor slab and stem wall.
I really like your illustrations and want to learn more, so I subscribed and Liked it too.... I will be designing a single story home and it's I.C.F. foundation will be made from I.C.F.'s and foundation is split into two sections that needs a stepped footing, meaning one side (left) being the kitchen/living (radiant floor heating) it will be I.C.F with Frost Protected Slab and the other side (Right) will be for the 2 bedrooms and 2 full Bathrooms, over a small (radiant floor heating) basement....
P.s. great idea that you mentioned about the dimple mat applied over and down the horizontal wing of the ridged insulation over to the drainage tile!!!
We will be moving to Maine as my Wife has received a job transfer and after we find a rental, I will be searching for a piece of land to build upon... Thank you!!!
What would your recomendation be if you start with an on ground engineered footing 24" x 10" with 4 rebar and ICF walls ?
What about an ICF build? Particularly where the wall joins the stem wall or floor?
I'm starting to see construction of footings with a vapour barrier below and up both sides of the stem walls to remove / reduce the capillary water movement from the base soils...
for option 5 the monolithic turn down slab thats insulated on the interior. how would you install the insulation if the ground isnt uniform especially if the foundation wall has to be deeper, say 3, 4 or 5 ft? sometimes there isnt the room to put insulation on the outside.
Hi there. Thanks for the great content. Do you have a recommended detail for under a door opening? How do you insulate the slab at the door opening?
Thanks so much for watching! There are several strategies that you can use underneath door transitions. A lot of people (including myself) like to use an aluminum or stainless pan to provide the transition and to protect the foam below. Fine Homebuilding and Green Building Advisor have some great details if you search "insulated slab exterior door transitions".
@@ASIRIDesignsthanks I’ll need to look that up. I have two doors I need to detail that I was concerned about. Does this work for garage doors as well? This is in my shop (12x12 garage doors for skid steer and mini ex)
Thanks for this very useful video. My plans have R5 1" rigid insulation called out around the edge of the slab here in California. I was wondering, is it best to install these insulation boards inside the forms before pouring the concrete or to install them afterwards?
Thanks for watching! In answer to your question, if the rigid insulation is to be installed on the exterior of the slab assembly, it's best to install it after the concrete has been poured and cured, as the waterproofing/damp proofing will need to be applied to the concrete prior to the installation of the rigid insulation (unless you're using ICFs).
Anybody have any experience with glavel, a glass foam gravel. Could you
Eliminate the foam board and just use glavel, then vapor barrier and then the concrete slab?
This is a really interesting concept. You should ask Steve Baczek Architect, he has experience with Glavel.
Hello, do you design plans for post frame buildings with these type of details? I have been looking for someone to draw the plans of my future home for sometime.
Hello there! Most of my client work is consulting these days for building issues, but I do take on a small limited amount of high performance home projects per year. Feel free to reach out on the website and we can see if it's a good fit.
Also, post frame on a basement! NO ONE (that I've found on RUclips) is putting out detailed videos about this type of design!
In option 1, would it be harmful to do a vapor barrier above and below the insulation in the slab? I would think it would last longer if it never gets wet from ground contact, and it's cheap insurance.
What software are you using for this demonstration?
Drawings where made in AutoCAD and exported to a PDF, and I used a PDF viewer to sketch over the details on the iPad.
VERY GOOD explanation. Please kill the music.
Using a monolithic slab in climate zone 2. Which one of your insulation technique is best? Thank you for your time.
I second that. I’m working on climate zone 2 as well and the water table is very high. These videos are great, but with most of them and other similar channels the climate zone or region of the project, type of soils, and other localized info seems to be missing. I find that it is always good to follow up with the local contractors, soils and structural engineers for more specific construction methods that may apply to your project. Thanks for bringing it up @johnnyboyo311. Thank you for the valuable content asiridesigns.
Great video
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
@@ASIRIDesigns Little back story. I’m
A bricklayer from
England but moved to Fairbanks Alaska and I’m starting doing my own construction here I’m finding lots of new techniques not only with differences in uk to USA but also arctic cold climate construction I’m going g to be pouring my slab for my own home extension this may 22x36 shop with second floor living area
If using 2x6 frame would I make the stem wall 4” plus 2” insulation so my 6” baseplate would cover the insulation??
I was thinking of building my stem wall in 4” or 6” concrete blocks
It seems like the majority of new homes here in the Northeast are increasingly using the frost protected shallow foundation, reviewed in the last detail because the concrete and excavation costs are a small FRACTION of the first couple designs, yet it seems like there is no noticeable compromise in performance. Is there a compelling reason to use the first 3-4 assemblies? We’re talking 4-5x more expensive than a FPSF with a continuous foam envelope.
I’m in western New York and have never seen a FPSF. I’m guy a regular Joe but I always look at new builds in the area.
The obvious problem with it is you don’t get a basement, which for many is a cheap expansion on home size. I use mine constantly.
@@patty109109 I’m seeing them become more common over the last 5-10 years. Nothing “cheap” about basements though. Cheaper would be addition a bump assertion or a second floor. Pouring a footer, walls then a floor (joists) system is a LOT more money than framing above grade… a larger garage is how to get extra storage, etc for cheap. I love basements, but they’re more of a luxury.
Great video but website is being a pain. Cookie notification and Google add take up half the screen on mobile browser and won’t go away. Do you have similar content for piers? Thanks!
Thanks for watching! Sorry to hear the website is giving you trouble (still figuring out how to optimize for mobile). There is some limited content on pier foundations, is there anything specific that you would like to see? Cheers!
@@ASIRIDesigns exact same type of video as this but for raise floor installations. I’m slowly getting through all the BSC videos/website but will still seek consultation when the time comes. Your videos are really great, more detailed. So I will reach out for appointment to check my work when build time comes.
Bit of a curve ball question for you, don’t really need to worry about cold where I live in Queensland, Australia. What’s better, break continuous thermal barrier to maintain slab thermal sink with shaded eves or maintain building science principals to retain environmental control but with greater cooling requirements provided continuous WRB is maintained. Just don’t have the slab sucking out heat..
@@beau5271 I will definitely add it to my video list, thank you for the suggestion. With regard to your question about slabs, I would air on the side of continuous water and air control strategies. These are always more important than thermal considerations...Water kills buildings really quickly, followed by air leakage. Control those and you will have a long lasting building. A little bit of an energy penalty in a warmer climate will be okay, it's much less desirable or comfortable in temperate and cold climates.
in the NE we often see slab on grade for garages only. do you feel that a perimeter drain is necessary for a detached garage, which has soil on both sides to counteract hydrostatic pressure? Obviously it's better but is it necessary? perhaps the perimeter drain could be under the slab on the interior side of the wall to prevent hydrostatic pressure build up under the slab, bc water can rise as well. If so it would be less expensive to simply do a trench concrete footing and stem wall, without having to further excavate and water proof. Simply, would this actually work long term without major consequence and save clients money?
I would say if it's a detached unheated/unconditioned garage on a site with good grading and drainage, you could probably omit it, but you'd need to address it on a case by case basis. If your clients store expensive cars in their detached garages or any moisture sensitive items (as many people use their garages as ancillary storage), a perimeter drain is a good idea just to avoid any potential liability.
@@ASIRIDesigns Thanks appreciate the response!
Sounds great, and all this sounds like a Commercial Cost Residential Quality house. Which to me, living in Zone 5a, and the push for the IECC to enforce ASHRAE 90.1-2019 and some states pushing more strict compliance. A tiny home even what you are explaining of maybe 2,000sf will cost $600.00 per sf. 1.2 million for a house is just wasteful since a house with today's materials will never last 200 years and materials today are Junk Quality comparing to Quality and craftsmanship of the 30s 40s 50s. Especially when average wages were approximately $13,000 and a house cost $42,000 of comparable size, when a person's avg wage is $70,000 so if the inflation was the same, only those making $300,000 could build that house... 🤔
Do you use Vectorworks ?
I do not - my workflow is primarily in AutoCAD and Sketchup.
Nice content and narration. (The music is a waste.)
😅😅 toller Beitrag. Aber so baut man schon 25 Jahre. Noch besser ist eine sogenannte Schwedenplatte!!.👍👍🇩🇪
The background music was really annoying...
You’re welcome to go watch a different channel then. 😁
It could have been lower for sure.
Now... "pay" for all of these details and say a prayer in hopes the installers (subs) each do their portion correctly.... not likely.
This is wrong. This is old way how we built in scandinavia. There is a much much better way and correct way.
the first two are very poor designed slab insulation would not meet min codes in Canada
Not everyone lives in a cold climate...
@@ASIRIDesigns what does that have to do with the poor design ? we insulate for heat and for cold try too keep up