New Eco build started!!
 

Foundation construction has begun on the long planned build of a winter core addition to our retirement cottage that will have full basement for year round utilities. It will be super insulated, 50% passive solar, high mass radiant floor heated space that we can retreat to in the coolest weather and fully heat only a third of the existing area(the rest will be like a large three season porch, which is already passive design and very rarely drops below freezing even unheated in winter. I am looking forward to putting into application many of the ideas discussed on this site and watching for future improvements that will help us improve our frugal consumptive footprint on the world, AND SAVE MONEY.

Good luck on your new build!!

Remember... lots of photos!

Best,

-AC

Thanks, This season goal is to underpin two wall of existing concrete frost footings to full 9' depth with block(just finished) and complete other two new walls with perm wood foundation. Pretty standard building but a little over engineered in the footing/floor drainage and ability to hold up a 4" poured in place arched radiant first floor for both passive and radiant high mass. Thank goodness for Ebay/Craig's list or the budget would already be blown on stainless steel nails, lol.

Sounds like a great project. I second the lots of pictures vote. :)

Not being nosy (don't have to say), but what is the general area you are in? (just wondering what kind of climate, conditions). I'm around LSE, i see you are around MSP. My family has some land just SE of Minneapolis (in Wisconsin). International Falls, Grand Marais? :) Up on a ridge, valley, flat land, marsh, sand?

Sounds awesome. Wish i had a retreat.

A few miles SE of Lake Mille Lacs. Building site is top of a south facing meadow hillside just inside a hard wood area. No walkout, heavy clay/rock soil, but enough elavatio for gravity daylight drainage and sewer.

Great Project.. I hope Success

Can we get some updates please? :)

I plan to post some photos and details soon. Have been scrambling to complete, temp cover and somewhat winterize foundation for the season to begin again in spring. Early winter is not what I needed. More soon.

Just wrapping up first season construction of foundation for new eco "winter core" addition to our retirement "cabin". Fairly standard with two walls concrete 48" frost footings that needed to be underpinned to full depth and two walls beefed up PWF to support 1st floor 4" poured in place radiant slab. Sub soil was rock hard so every shovel had to be picked out before removed. Very hard , sweaty work but it gave me a much needed extra foot of width to an already narrow basement footprint. Extra detail to drainage and waterproofing. Footing drains skylighted out thru hillside(I don't trust sump pumps anymore). The 100' foot trench allowed me to drop in 3 runs of 4" surplus swear pipe(less than $50.) for pre tempering winter fresh air intake(no condensation/mold problems warming cold air). Tempered air will go to A/A xchgr when direct warmed fresh air from DIY solar air collector is not available. Only major eco design is that basement will be thermally and airily(?) separated from living space by between floor insulation and sealing stairwell door so basement can be well ventilated for radon(we are located on top of an underground granite mountain). I like a cool workshop even in winter. Snow roof is temp for winter. Completed addition will be same two story profile of existing building extended to length of garage plus a few feet second story will extend halfway back over garage. This new living space will be a super insulated/sealed space to retreat in winter, minimal heating rest unless we want to fired up the wood stove which heats it now for periods.

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