Bob's back at the Mashpee site where he meets with developer Joe Valle to discuss the foundation that is being poured. Valle explains that the excavation work for an average foundation costs about $5,000 and includes the digging, backfill, and finish grading. The poured foundation also costs about $5,000, divided equally between the cost of labor and the cost of materials. Valle estimates it will take about 30 yards of concrete to pour the average foundation, which is equal to three truckloads. Bob questions the decision to pour a full foundation and wonders if it might not be more economical to build a crawlspace. Valle explains that the advantages of a full basement far outweigh any cost savings from digging and pouring a shallower foundation. The added living space is well worth the cost, especially since the foundation must be dug and poured regardless of the depth. As for a concrete slab, Valle says that the market does not support it in the Massachusetts area. Even with a slab house, a frost wall must be dug and poured, before the concrete arrives for the slab. Once the foundation is poured for this River Hill home, posts are set every 16 inches so that the sill can be bolted to the foundation and the house can be tied down to its base.

Bob is with Tim Berky, the general contractor for the Rowley Victorian addition and kitchen remodel. He updates Bob on the progress since the footing for the new foundation was poured and repairs to the original foundation were made. Berky and his crew found dry rot in the existing entry and had to remove it completely. The mason had to create a sloping course to level out the existing entry foundation and repoint it to blend it into the new foundation work. Inside, Berky and his crew removed the bathroom fixtures, secured the pipes to prevent leaking, opened the walls to expose wires and pipes for shutoff, and began to cut the entry into chunks for removal. The sill was releveled and an adhesive was used to attach the new sill to the brick foundaiton.

Bob and Ryley make their first tour of the site where the foundation is already in place. Ryley notes that with a sloping grade you want to drop the foundation as you follow the grade so that you don't have a lot of concrete sticking above the ground. Bob points out that the beauty of a sloping site is that the basement provides really good living space. Looking at the smoothness of the foundation wall Ryley can tell that the contractor used new forms for the pour. The horizontal line in the wall indicates where during the pour one truck pulled out and another pulled in, not uncommon in a large pour. The honeycombing that Bob notices is purely an aesthetic issue which could have been avoided by vibrating the concrete during the pour but does not compromise the wall's structural integrity. Bob and Ryley finish up with a quick look at the plans for the basement layout.

Bob meets Buba Barrow of Barrow Construction, the general contractor for the container-built housing project, and Ray Price of SPNHS, the project manager for the job. Barrow, a former engineer turned builder, explains how the stem wall foundation is constructed first with 20-inch by 8-inch footings reinforced with rebar that are poured to support a concrete block wall reinforced with #5 rebar set 32 inches on center. The cells are filled with concrete in a continuous pour to make a monolithic slab and foundation. This type of foundation, known as a stem-wall foundation, is the sturdiest possible support for a home built in hurricane territory and subject to wind, storm surge, and uplift. Bob talks to Price about the site clearing on this shaded lot covered with Florida Live Oaks. Once the central oak and the brush were cleared, Price supervised the pouring of the footings during a challenging set of delays in Florida's rainy season. The rectangular foundation is ready for the intermodal steel building units (ISBU's) that will arrive on site and be welded to the steel plates set in the concrete as weld points around the perimeter of the foundation.

The EdenPURE Infrared Portable Heater can cut your heating bills and save you money. With over 1,000,000 EdenPURE heaters sold EdenPURE is #1 in both savings and reliability. Remember not all heaters are the same. There are many imitators on the market but only one EdenPURE.

Getting a Dremel® Multi-Max Oscillating Power Tool is almost like getting 5 tools in one. With it you can cut, grind, remove grout, scrape and sand. Powerful and heavy-duty, the Multi-Max is just the tool to help you tackle a wide variety of do-it-yourself projects.

Sustainable materials, non-wasteful practices and energy efficiency are hallmarks of eco-friendly housing efforts. Now, one organization and a federal program are looking more directly at how these efforts can make homes healthier for their occupants.

you and your family stay comfortable the entire season while protecting your investment. The good news is that it doesn t have to be expensive. There are a surprising number of easy things you can do at minimal cost that can maximize energy savings this winter. BobVila.

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Advanced framing is the name given to techniques designed to reduce the amount of lumber used and waste generated in a residential construction project and to improve a home's energy efficiency.