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"NOBODY BUILDS FLIMSY LIKE I DO", RON BUDGELL BLOGS ON
FINE HOMEBUILDING
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Overview of the Craft project
before pouring concrete. Note the Fastfoot® footing form in
place. |
Ron Budgell, an experienced builder in Prospect Bay, Nova
Scotia, has been building and renovating since 1980. His first
ICF project was in 1995, and it was a radical construction method at
the time. Ron has used five or six
different ICF blocks, with this project being formed with
IntegraSpec®.
This 3,000 square foot project on two floors was designed by Paul
Skerry of Paul Skerry and Associates Limited, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This was Ron's first footing with Fastfoot® and he was pleased
because it enhanced his reputation of "Nobody builds
flimsy like I do!"
Fab-Form's President, Rick Fearn, reminds Ron that fabric may be
'flimsy', but it's strong, sustainable and healthy.
His comments appear on the Fine Homebuilding blog (click on link
below), entitled
"Nobody Builds Flimsy Like I Do":
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=104945.1
The blog is repeated below for your convenience. |
Photo
Gallery - Nobody Builds Flimsy Like I Do  |
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104945.1 |
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| I started a new ICF house last
week.
The architect told me he had recently seen a new
product which looked interesting - fabric forms for
footings. My initial reaction was that that was
ridiculous, but when I thought about how I am
perfectly happy to pour 11 or 12 feet of concrete
into forms made of foam, it no longer seemed quite
so silly.
Check out the manufacturer here:
http://www.fab-form.com/ They have some very
interesting ideas.
I don't own lumber suitable for footing forms at
this point. I would have had to buy about 500' of
rough 2 x 10 for this job, costing over $1000. Most
of that could be salvaged, of course, but some would
be consumed and not reusable. Anyway, I don't want
to have to carry all that stuff around or store it.
The fabric form material to do the same job costs
$170 plus material for stakes and stringers. The 2 x
4 stringers are almost all reusable. I would have
used the stakes anyway.
Here's what a framework for a fabric form looks
like
We built the outer rim first. leveling with a
transit and an autolevel.
Then we built the inner rim, leveling from the
outer with an ordinary spirit level
We had a variation in depth in the excavation of
almost 10", requiring a very deep footing at the
deepest point
We started this job with no electricity, but the
power people showed up mid week.
Edited 5/24/2008
2:39 pm by ronbudgell
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104945.4 in reply to
104945.2 |
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| So here's the footing form
material, two rolls of 120' each
We unrolled this and simply stapled it to the top
of the light framework. It's a little slack in the
framework so it can bulge some when full of
concrete.
Going around corners, the material is folded as
neatly as possible, not cut. Think Christmas present
corners.
The straight run of formwork is amazingly easy
and fast, but at this point, I'm looking at the
depth we have to pour and beginning to get worried |
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104945.5 in reply to
104945.4 |
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| But there is plenty to do to take
my mind of what I disaster I might be getting myself
into. I have to build footing steps. I hate building
footing steps.
It can be fun in an odd way to scribe form
material to the dirt though an inch or so here or
there is of no account.
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104945.6 in reply to
104945.5 |
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| So here it is, almost ready to
pour. The steel is in it, the cross ties are
installed, we've checked levels, we've located
corners for later placement of vertical steel bar. I
suppose the only thing not ready when I took this
shot, last Thursday, was my head.
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104945.7 in reply to
104945.6 |
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| We poured late Friday morning in
the rain. I was guiding the dirty end of the pump,
wound up like a tight spring, watching for something
to burst. Nothing even creaked! I managed to relax,
as much as I can when pouring, and begin to treat
this like just another job. As far as I know right
now, it was a flawless pour.
On Monday, we'll take the forms apart and check
levels again. Something might have moved when the
concrete went into the forms, but I didn't see much
movement. I might even go over there tomorrow and
see how it turned out.
So here's what it looks like full of mud.
I like this FabForm. Do more with less material. |
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104945.9 in reply to
104945.8 |
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| we alway just dig a trench in the
ground, who cares if the footers are not pretty
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104945.11 in reply to
104945.9 |
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| ron... thanks for the photo essay
Mike Smith
Rhode Island :
Design / Build / Repair / Restore
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104945.12 in reply to
104945.7 |
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| Ron, that is amazing! What were
the odds of finding a place in NS you could drive
stakes in line? Except for the steps and assuming
there is proper drainage, the footing will
essentially not wick water into the foundation?
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104945.13 in reply to
104945.1 |
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| thats amazing. Im curious on
how you strip the forms now. |
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104945.14 in reply to
104945.9 |
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| brownbagg, I'm not looking for
pretty. I'm looking for vertical variation of no
more than 1/8" from perfect. Once or twice I've
gotten lucky and actually achieved that.
Ron |
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104945.15 in reply to
104945.12 |
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| Gordie,
The stakes didn't go in very deep. It's bloody
hard under there.
Your point about the water not being able to wick
into the foundation walls is also made by the
manufacturer. I think it's a very valuable quality
and hard to achieve otherwise.
Ron |
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104945.16 in reply to
104945.13 |
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| bobbys I'm curious, too. I
don't think any of the wood is trapped, though. I'll
let you know.
Ron |
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104945.18 in reply to
104945.17 |
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| Ron, Thanx for sharing.
I'll stay tuned.
Chuck S
live, work, build, ...better with wood
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104945.19 in reply to
104945.15 |
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| Building Science had something to
say about damp proofing the top of the footing or
covering it with a membrane before setting the
foundation forms.
Brian, "Experienced", enlightened me about
wicking when I was quizing him about moisture
control regarding finishing my basement. Prior to
that, I was oblivious.
Whether or not this is an issue for
ICF foundations would depend on the forms being XPS
or EPS.
The scenery looks rugged, you building close to
home?
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104945.20 in reply to
104945.19 |
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| Gordie, I can't see the
difference between XPS and EPS in terms of wicking
moisture. It's through the concrete, not the foam.
The exterior of the wall is normally sealed with a
non-breathing membrane like Blueskin, so the foam is
not the issue.
Anyway, there was only one XPS ICF form that I
ever heard of and it was a disaster. I built one
basement with it, so I know.
I have tried adding a separation sheet on top of
the footing before building up with ICF, but it
always seems to move or tear or something.
The site is about ten minutes drive away from
home a little further out the bay in a subdivision
where I've built two other ICF houses. Waterfront.
Ron |
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