FOUNDATION
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Highlights Foundation cost typically ranges from $5,200 to $148,000, but the national average is $9,100. The type a...
While droughts are known to wreak havoc on agriculture and landscaping, it may come as a surprise that they can also ...
When you need to repair a sidewalk, create a space to store a trash can, or build a small storage shed, a few basic c...
Highlights Crawl space cleaning costs between $500 and $4,000 on average. The exact cost can vary depending on the ...
Q: I recently bought a newly built home, but I’ve noticed hairline cracks in the foundation over the last couple of m...
Typical Range: $630 to $4,400 National Average: $2,290When plumbing leaks happen beneath a home’s concrete slab fo...
Typical Range: $250 to $800There are many different types of foundations, but they all have one thing in common: th...
Cracking, crumbling, and tumbling foundations are nothing short of terrifying. When homeowners first see the signs of...
Mentioning “foundation problems” can evoke visions of costly repairs for most homeowners. Still, it might surprise yo...
Highlights Foundation repair typically costs between $2,164 and $7,793, with the national average foundation repair ...
Bricks are used regularly in commercial, industrial, and residential construction because they are durable, long-last...
Poured concrete is a viscous solution that can take up to 48 hours to properly set. During the setting time, the conc...
Concrete provides a sound structural foundation for homes and is ideal for slabs like patios, walkways and, driveways...
Small home annoyances are sometimes indicators of a bigger structural problem. Learn to recognize the signs of these maintenance issues that need to get addressed...
No matter what the architectural style, a house is only as good as its foundation, the lowest load-bearing aspect of ...
To do a thorough job of spring home maintenance and cleaning, follow these easy and smart routines.
Your home’s foundation—the concrete walls surrounding a basement or crawl space—supports the entire weight of the hou...
Q: We moved into a new house and I just noticed some cracks in the basement floor. They don’t look new, but I can’t b...
This article has been brought to you by DRYLOK. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. As homeowners, we a...
Runoff from rain or melted snow can cause serious damage to your foundation and basement. The best solution to lead a...
While a fixer-upper can be a lot cheaper than a home that's move-in ready, some fixer-uppers just aren't worth the headache. If the home you have your eye is plag...
This article has been brought to you by UGL. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. For the last 50 years ...
If you're pouring a concrete foundation, how do you figure out how much concrete you'll need? There's a pretty simpl...
Before the building of an addition can begin, site preparation may be necessary. Are there any garden plants, shrubs,...
As with any structure, a new garage foundation plays a crucial role in the integrity of the building above: A quality...
In Season Five of “Bob Vila's Home Again,” the popular “Cabin in the Woods” project showcased a unique array of innov...
In your mind you’ve got a dream house, but in reality you have a building lot. Before you get locked into a building ...
It’s not something you really want to acknowledge. You tell yourself it’s an optical illusion, or clutch to the conso...
When building a house, two main types of foundations are used: slab-on-grade or below-grade foundations with a baseme...
Bob introduces homeowner Howard Brickman. Steve Ivas, an environmental engineer, describes the area wetlands, which must be accommodated. Innovative building tech...
Todd LaBarge describes the ReddiForm block system used to create a one-step monolithic pour.
Bob and Howard discuss the concrete mesh used in the foundation that saved time and materials. Bob reviews the upcoming episode during which first floor walls ar...
The home's concrete-slab floor is constructed with foam decking and connected to PEX tubing that will heat the home. The ReddiForm foam blocks enable a single con...
Bob explores innovative construction technologies – Insul-Tarp and ReddiForm polystyrene blocks – as the structure is reinforced and the first-floor walls start t...
A slab is poured in the basement and work is underway to add two new dormers to the roof.
Damaged sill is replaced, the house is protected against insects and rot, and sliding doors with custom trim molding are installed.
Bob meets with Leslie Chapman-Henderson from the Federal Alliance for Safe Housing (FLASH) and Randy Shackelford to discuss an assortment of storm-resistant roof ...
Cameron Parker shows Bob the Solid Wall System and explains how it works. Bob recaps the foundation process.
Bob meets with FLASH—Federal Alliance for Safe Housing and FEMA—Federal Emergency Management Agency, to learn how homeowners can protect their homes from damaging...
Bob teams up with Michael Shiels, the project's general contractor, to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
Bob meets with Jim Costello from Superior Walls of America to discuss the difference between a pre-cast and a traditional poured-concrete foundation.
Chris Vila discusses the benefits of a factory-built foundation system with Mel Zimmerman of Superior Walls.
Bob reviews the site preparation process with the on-site contractor, Michael Sheils.
Evan Zgonis of Olympia Marble and Granite gives Bob a tour of the facility where the kitchen countertops being used in the modern Colonial house are manufactured.
Bob tours the first floor of the house, then turns his attention to the family room addition. Demolition has taken place in the barn, where a concrete floor has r...
Carpenter Bob Ryley meets with Jim Whiteside, construction manager with Habitat for Humanity, and Dennis Hodgrin of APA.
Bob confers with concrete specialist Phil Truit, whose team is pouring a concrete slab floor into an existing building.
As concrete specialist Phil Truit oversees the pouring of a concrete slab floor into the basement of an existing home, he explains the complex process to Bob, who...
Carpenter Bob Ryley and contractor Mike Wescott inspect the basement concrete slab, then go over other construction details in the basement.
An excavation specialist, working under the oversight of a city inspector, digs the trench for new water service to the accessible home. Inside, contractors are a...
Bob meets with Judy Lee, the owner of the fifth Elmwood project house. The front porch, built in 1892, must be replaced.
Porch restoration continues on the fifth Elmwood project house, with Forester Moulding and Lumber re-milling many porch elements.
Bob watches a concrete slab foor being poured, and looks on as sets of insulated forms are filled with concrete to make walls.
Bob watches over a fresh strip of concrete being poured between two existing slabs.
Bob meets with the contractor to take down the old patio slab and lay out the new one.
Larry Long (from Anthony & Sylvan Pools) explains the excavation and preliminary work of building a new pool. Reinforcing rods are used to help the concrete hold ...
Bob and contractor Paul Morse review the excavations and formwork for the foundation.
Bob meets with the contractor to inspect the poured footings and discuss the pouring process. Next, Bob helps install the sill plate and explains the various type...
Bob meets with contractor Bill Wilcox to help build a landing and steps up to the French doors. Bob reviews the footings that support the deck, as well as the met...
Landscape designer Ruth Foster explains her choices for the foundation plantings and her cost-saving measures.
The foundation has been hand-dug and the forms laid for the footings. Bob and contractor Bob Ryley discuss the layout of the greenhouse foundation and framing.
Bob watches as the crew prepares the footings for the greenhouse foundation. Contractor John Pratt pours the concrete, using a conveyor instead of a traditional p...
The structural steel supports are delivered and while Bob discusses the supports' unique construction, contractor Bob Ryley drills the necessary holes for the sup...
Bob discusses a new foundation system that doesn't require a concrete truck being on site.
The basement walls are lifted into place and secured. This system is ideal for cold weather installation as the concrete is already cured before delivery. The pre...
To provide structural support in the new Malibu beach house, holes are dug in the beach and the new cement caissons are poured.
Bob reviews the newly completed caissons with the architects, and demolition continues with the removal of a tree from the courtyard.
Contractor Joe Fitzgerald explains the installation process for the authentic barrel tile roof. Bob then gives comedian Tim Allen some expert help pouring a new g...
Bob pays a visit to the site as work on the foundation gets underway. Once the excavation is complete, the forms (for the poured concrete) are assembled and put i...
Bob meets with Lars Anderson (from Owens Corning) to discuss the Lite-Form Insulating System used in the garage's foundation. The forms are pre-assembled and tied...
Bob and contractor Bob Ryley discuss the pouring of concrete into Styrofoam forms for the foundation. The mix is slightly more liquid than most. While the increas...
Bob meets with contractor John Clancy to discuss building the concrete block foundation.
Bob remarks on how much progress has been made in one week of work on the Wayland project home. The footings have been established and the crew has begun building...
The excavation crew digs out the dense clay material in the basement to clear the way for a cement slab floor.
Bob meets with the architect to go over plans for the Cape-style house, before heading to the site to observe the pouring of the foundation.
Ron Gan and architect Bill Bauhs talk over the budget and convince Bob to renovate the basement.
Bob joins architect Mike Morgan and general contractor Ron Gan in the basement of the coach house to discuss options for making the basement space useful and/or m...
Bob takes a quick tour of the demolition work that's ongoing in the basement. He and general contractor Ron Gan discuss the advantages of renovation over rebuildi...
The concrete floor has been poured in the basement, and general contractor Ron Gan explains how a ledger board is attached to the masonry wall to support ceiling ...
Bob meets with Askia Aquil of the St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services to talk about the upcoming project, taking place in a revitalizing area. Next, Bob ...
The extensive new deck will have multiple levels and various sections. General contractor Tim Berky digs holes for the footings before setting them in concrete.
General contractor Tim Berky updates Bob on progress since the footing for the new foundation was poured and repairs to the original foundation were made.
Bob joins general contractor Tim Berky to hear how the foundation and footing will be handled for the Victorian kitchen remodel and deck addition.
