Archives: Foundations

How To Insulate Basement Walls

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Foundations, Insulation

How To Insulate Basement Walls Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates. In this article I’d like to discuss how to insulate basement walls in cold climates. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. However, special care should be used when insulating…

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Stepped Footings

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Stepped Concrete Footings Footings are the most basic structural support for buildings in contact with the earth. For houses on a level building lot the footings are very simple and end up all at one elevation. However, for more complicated designs the footings end up changing elevations and therefore require a “step” in the grade.…

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Blistered Concrete Slab

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Concrete Blisters Last week was one of those weeks when it seemed everything went wrong on one of my commercial building projects. First we found out that our siding product was defective and then a slab we poured for a vehicle service bay had blistered concrete! Needless to say you can see the final verdict…

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Installing Foundation Window Wells

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Window Well Installation Installing window wells is a very good way of preventing unwanted water from entering into your basement windows. Window wells also allow the finish grade to be brought to an elevation higher than the window while still letting light into the window. How To Install Window Wells Window well installation is fairly…

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Are Cracks In Concrete Foundations Bad?

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Concrete Cracks I often get asked about cracks in concrete foundations. Many home owners are nervous when they see cracks in concrete and wonder if they are bad or dangerous. While it’s a natural reaction to be concerned when you see something cracked the reality is that 95% of cracks in concrete are harmless and…

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Porch and Deck Footing Types

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Foundations

Spring is quickly approaching and many of you are dreaming about a new deck or porch. Decks can be a fun DIY project if you take your time and understand the basics. The basics start with a good foundation so this article will show you several alternatives to porch and deck footings. Porch and Deck…

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Winter Concrete Construction

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Concrete Construction During Winter We often get questions about winter construction and more specifically whether or not concrete construction can occur in the winter months. Although not ideal, it is very normal for concrete construction to occur during the winter months. We just broke ground on an addition for a commercial car dealership building and…

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Precast Concrete Piers

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Foundations

Precast Concrete Piers In a previous posts I wrote about Porch and Deck Pier Footings and I highlighted a really great construction product, the precast concrete pier. Precast concrete piers are really great and we use them exclusively for porches and decks when we build new homes. On a recent project, Total House Construction Series…

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