Building an Addition for an Elderly Parent Project
Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete VideoThe project in Norwell, Massachusetts, involves putting an addition on an existing house to create an in-law suite. A lower-level garage is being built with a spacious suite above. The area has been excavated and the slab and footing poured. The pour was done in one step. A number of products were used to make the slab-and-footing pour faster and easier. Insul-Tarp, an innovative all-in-one vapor barrier and insulation product was used underneath the floor slab. ReddiForm polystyrene blocks or ICFs are being used for the walls. Bob talks with Ron Ardres from ReddiForm about the ReddiForm process. ReddiForm is a modification of the original ICF concept. The blocks are simple in design and can be laid out in a number of ways. This layout flexibility reduces the waste factor to about two percent. The blocks are lightweight but strong enough to support heavy weight and resist high compression. Steel is added as reinforcement to the structure. Holes are drilled into the slab through the cells in the ReddiForm blocks to hold steel dowels that will act as reinforcement and tie down. The blocks are glued to the floor for additional reinforcement. Rebar is also added horizontally throughout the structure. Additional rebar reinforcement can be added as specified to support the bearing loads. The ReddiForm system improves construction speed and helps economize projects by reducing steps and labor. In this home, the blocks will be stacked seven-and-a-half feet high to create a basement and a two-car garage. Once the basement walls are complete, foam forms will be put in place horizontally over the structure to act as the first floor slab. The slab and the walls will be poured in one continuous pour.
 | Floors, Stairs & Elevators
• Howard Brickman Consulting (Norwell, MA) - General contracting and project management
Insulation
• Eagle Mountain/Radiantmax - Insul-Tarp under-slab reflective, insulative, water-and-vapor barrier
Masonry & Faux Stone
• LaBarge Engineering & Contracting - ICF construction and engineering services
• Portland Cement Association - Cement for slab, walls, and floor
Plumbing & Septic Systems
• TJ’s Plumbing and Heating - Radiant floor heating installation
• Viega - PEX tubing for radiant floor heating
Structural & Framing
• Fab-Form Industries - Fab-Form stay-in-place footing and drainage forms
• ReddiForm Inc. - ReddiForm polystyrene, snap-together insulated forms for ICF construction
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Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete The project in Norwell, Massachusetts, involves putting an addition on an existing house to create an in-law suite. A lower-level garage is being built with a spacious suite above. The ...
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| Bob talks with Ron Ardres from ReddiForm about the construction of the home's concrete-slab floor. To build the floor, the walls were constructed using ReddiForm expanded polystyrene foam forms. The ...
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| The PEX tubing is set in the concrete and will circulate hot water used to heat the addition. Jason McKinnon of Viega North America reviews the features of PEX tubing. ...
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| Once the PEX tubing is in place, the concrete is poured. Using ReddiForm blocks lets the crew pour the lower walls and the slab all at once. The side walls ...
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| Bob talks with Todd LaBarge of LaBarge Engineering, the contractor on the project, about the concrete pour. The process is a very fast-moving one, with the first-floor walls put ...
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| Bob talks with Jim Niehoff of the Portland Cement Association about building homes using concrete. For builders, constructing homes with concrete can save a lot of time and give homeowners ...
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