Building an Addition for an Elderly Parent Project

Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete Video

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 distance between the walls was then spanned using foam decking that forms a ceiling over the basment story. The decking is ten inches deep and contains grooves to hold reinforcing rebar. The foam decking was set up to be temporarily supported with falsework until the concrete sets. Steel is placed using stirrups between the grooves in the foam blocks. PEX tubing is put down on top of the foam after the steel has been put in place. A rollout mesh is then put down on top of the PEX tubing. After all this is done, the concrete is poured.

Additional Bob Vila Showrooms
• Unico System - Retrofit High Performance, Heating & Air Conditioning
• CertaPro Painters - America's Most Referred Painter
• DR® Power Equipment - DR® FIELD and BRUSH MOWER – Take Control of Your Property!
• Chadsworth's - Columns, Pillars, Pilasters & Balustrades
• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - Real Cedar for Siding, Decking and Outdoor Projects
• Radiantec - Radiantec Solar heating systems for home heat

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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	Other Video Clips from this Episode

	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 ... Watch video and view full description
	NOW PLAYING Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete 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 ...
	Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor 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. ... Watch video and view full description
	Pouring the Concrete for the First Floor Slab and Walls 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 ... Watch video and view full description
	Pouring the Upper-Story Walls 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 ... Watch video and view full description
	Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction 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 ... Watch video and view full description