The Log house Project begins........

[MotorSeven]

Thanks for the info. I think I will be good with just a vapor barrier and later will insulate the walls with either board or spray-on.

The metal guy is dropping off the color samples today. Once the War Dept reviews the colors and makes her pick, the metal gets ordered.

A front is coming through right now...rain all day, then the temp drops to around freezing at night for a couple of days, so the slab will get put off until next week. Once the rain abates, I will be back on the sawmill.

 

[955Lincoln]

Thanks for the info. I think I will be good with just a vapor barrier and later will insulate the walls with either board or spray-on.

Dag-nabit...couldn't spend any of your money this time

Gravel and drain tile under the slab?

 

[WilliamBos]

Negative...I am a Gutter Hater.....for you Canucks that would be an Eaves Trough Hater:laughing:

They don't sell smart screen in the USA?? .

 

[MotorSeven]

Gravel and drain tile under the slab?

The basement floor is hard packed slate. What advantage does gravel have over a hard surface? If my footers and walls are up, how would I run drain tile? I did put in a floor drain, but am unsure if I am going to use it. Since I have a 9' wide garage door I can have my concrete guy slant the slab so it drains that way. Forgive my questions, but usually defer to my concrete guy who has a great rep here.

If you want to spend my money ya better hurry....funds are gettin skinny


WB, we do have those screens here, but with the amount of leaves at this location they would just form a "leaf-mache" mat over the screen. I have seen so much rot caused by gutters I just want that water to launch off my roof asap.

 

[bradleyr001]

If you want to do something search on how they insulate the edge of slabs with 2 pieces of foam sheeting. I haven't looked into it closely yet but will probably do my slab that way in a colder climate.

This has something to do with the thermal properties of both the slab and the earth and how they interact. The earth and slab will basically be the same approx temperature, which leaves the majority of the thermal loss from around the edge of the slab, hence the 2 foam sheet insulation install, one vertical and one horizontal to mitigate the heat loss.

 

[MotorSeven]

This has something to do with the thermal properties of both the slab and the earth and how they interact. The earth and slab will basically be the same approx temperature, which leaves the majority of the thermal loss from around the edge of the slab, hence the 2 foam sheet insulation install, one vertical and one horizontal to mitigate the heat loss.

Ok, Brad, that makes sense. Two sides are under ground(backfilled) so the loss will be on the other two walls. I am still thinking that in my climate, interior foam insulation would keep that thermal loss to a minimum.

 

[boxygen]

You essentially have a heatsink wherever you have concrete touching earth which sounds like two walls AND the slab. Therefore your argument makes no sense to insulate the walls but not the slab. Others are correct that most of the heat loss will be at the perimeter of the slab where it does not have earth against it. Definitely put insulation against the wall in that location to isolate the slab from the wall, however there is no good way to create a thermal break at a garage door opening since the slab has to be continuous to the outside. At the very least put some insulation under the slab in this location, however I absolutely vote for insulation under the entire slab. You can put a thermal break underneath any man doors to the outiside that have a threshold.
I am involved in a project right now that is superinsulated. R-70 roof and R50 walls. There is an engineer on the design team that specializes in this type of construction. He has a saying that has stuck with me - "No one has ever come back to me after the project is done and said, I wish we hadnt installed so much insulation."

I understand money is short but this is one location where you dont have an opportunity to retrofit later. Goodluck with your decision. Progress is looking great. :thumbsup:

 

[MotorSeven]

Box, I hear ya, but will 1/2" HD foam board under the slab make a noticable difference? That's about all I can afford at this stage.

 

[boxygen]

If it truly is not in the budget then I probably wouldnt bother with 1/2". I would concentrate on the perimeter and isolating slab from walls and exterior surfaces. I dont recall if you plan on converting this to finished space or not. If not, you will be fine. If you are and are going to install finished flooring over concrete someday, it is much more a necessity.
In the winter you will lose some heat which you wont notice. In the summer, the insulation will help with condensation on the slab, which you will notice.

I did hear the argument from a building scientist that studies show in some climates that the net gain of cooling in the cooling season from the earth more than offsets the net loss of heating during the heating season. This depends on a lot of variables but It was interesting food for thought.

 

[955Lincoln]

The basement floor is hard packed slate. What advantage does gravel have over a hard surface? If my footers and walls are up, how would I run drain tile?

If you are certain that you will never have any water seeping in under the slab then you don't need gravel and drain tile. The plastic is a moisture barrier but it won't keep water from coming in if the water has no place to go.