BobVila.com

Preparing Insulated Moisture Barrier and Forms for Foundation Pour

The Norwell home is getting ready for the foundation pour. It will be a monolithic or single pour as they create the slab and frost walls. Todd LaBarge of LaBarge Engineering reviews some of the steps involved in the process. They will be using an innovative insulated form called ReddiForm. To create the frost wall, they dig down four feet and insert the ReddiForm blocks that snap together. These polystyrene forms can withstand the pressure of backfilling because they have a structural interior web that reinforces them. The frost wall is backfilled and a rebar cage is inserted into and over the ReddiForm blocks. The front face of the form is cut out and the rebar is extended out across the surface where the slab will be poured. The bearing is then transferred up to the top of the slab using this method, which achieves in one pour what would normally require three—footing, frost wall, and floating slab. A column pad is put in place to increase the load for the load-bearing wall. The product used for underslab insulation is called Insul-Tarp. Insul-Tarp can be laid out quickly and easily, saving time and labor costs. This is an all-in-one reflective and insulated vapor barrier. When the radiant tubing is put down over the barrier it will reflect the heat back into the living space instead of allowing it to pass into the ground. More information