Thanks for covering ICF. Another advantage of ICF is the waterproofing must be applied to the foam, rather than the concrete. This waterproofing can serve double duty as it also protects the foam from moisture and those nasty insects you mentioned. It is said that EPS foam takes 500 years to decompose in a landfill so keeping it protected would extend it's lifetime even further. And, as you mentioned, ICF protects the concrete from deterioration by preventing rapid thermal gradients and provides a superior curing environment over formed concrete walls. The thermal mass of the concrete core boosts the effective R-value of the wall. A full ICF house is a much more foolproof way of achieving a high performance home since there are far fewer chances to mess up during the build. It would be interesting to see you cover the detailing of a full ICF home instead of just basement walls. My perspective is that of a soon to be retiring electrical engineer and planning to provide most of the labor of an ICF house in western NC.
Do you think tar would be enough? If the dimple mat is needed, how do you adhere it? I'm worried plastic cap nails would breach the tar and allow water in
@@brodieobrien-pickering2202 As I have seen, the dimple mat can be just hung like a curtain by fasteners above grade. Backfill holds it in place afterwards. The Polywall Arroyo is applied with an adhesive.
@@brodieobrien-pickering2202 The dimple mat provides an expressway for water to get down to the French drain alongside of the footer. It prevents the buildup of hydrostatic pressure. The dimple mat does most of the work and the actual waterproofing won't see much water at all, mostly just water running down the side of the house. I'm like you and would use adhesive to secure the dimple mat. Some people skip the dimple mat and rely on drainage stone, but I wouldn't want rocks against the waterproofing.
Thank you for this! Construction on my new home starts soon and I've been stressing about the best way to insulate the basement. Perfect timing. Your videos are extremely helpful. Keep up the great work! 👍
Very helpful, as I plan to build a home foundation with exterior insulation. One remaining question I had was regarding the exterior foundation wall area above grade and below the sill. It sounds like the best practice is to extend the water barrier, insulation, and dimple mat to the top of the foundation. But how is the outside of the mat then best covered above grade, both for durability and a finished look?
@@drew50 Well for starters, you have to treat the walls on the walkout side as above grade walls and insulate them accordingly using the right ratios. You also have to pay attention to the floor transition since there is potential for a major thermal bridge between the basement slab and the exterior environment. Few other things as well, but it mostly has to do with transitioning materials and components.
What are some methods for handling a partial basement? IE, a 400 sqft basement under a 900 sqft ground floor, with the remainder being peir and beam type crawlspace. It seems most of the houses here built before 1950 have this construction.
@@multipotentialite I don't know about where you live, but that kind of basement would be against code where I live and wouldn't pass inspection. Even pressure treated wood rated for ground contact wouldn't last long with the kind of vapor pressure it would experience being used as a basement wall. There is a reason basements are almost universally made from concrete products.
*A Design Guide To Dry & Comfortable Basements eBook* : asiri-designs.com/shop/ols/products/basement-design-guide
Thanks for covering ICF. Another advantage of ICF is the waterproofing must be applied to the foam, rather than the concrete. This waterproofing can serve double duty as it also protects the foam from moisture and those nasty insects you mentioned. It is said that EPS foam takes 500 years to decompose in a landfill so keeping it protected would extend it's lifetime even further. And, as you mentioned, ICF protects the concrete from deterioration by preventing rapid thermal gradients and provides a superior curing environment over formed concrete walls. The thermal mass of the concrete core boosts the effective R-value of the wall. A full ICF house is a much more foolproof way of achieving a high performance home since there are far fewer chances to mess up during the build. It would be interesting to see you cover the detailing of a full ICF home instead of just basement walls. My perspective is that of a soon to be retiring electrical engineer and planning to provide most of the labor of an ICF house in western NC.
Do you think tar would be enough? If the dimple mat is needed, how do you adhere it? I'm worried plastic cap nails would breach the tar and allow water in
@@brodieobrien-pickering2202 As I have seen, the dimple mat can be just hung like a curtain by fasteners above grade. Backfill holds it in place afterwards. The Polywall Arroyo is applied with an adhesive.
@@brodieobrien-pickering2202 The dimple mat provides an expressway for water to get down to the French drain alongside of the footer. It prevents the buildup of hydrostatic pressure. The dimple mat does most of the work and the actual waterproofing won't see much water at all, mostly just water running down the side of the house. I'm like you and would use adhesive to secure the dimple mat. Some people skip the dimple mat and rely on drainage stone, but I wouldn't want rocks against the waterproofing.
So much good information in a time Matt R. would only go through the list of his sponsors.
You are on of my favourite channels on youtube. Thank you for this content
Happy to hear that! Thank you for watching, cheers!
Thank you for this! Construction on my new home starts soon and I've been stressing about the best way to insulate the basement. Perfect timing. Your videos are extremely helpful. Keep up the great work! 👍
@@DeuceDeuceBravo Thanks for watching, so glad to hear the videos have been helpful! Good luck with the project!
Right on, well done and stright to the point!
I Always in joy your videos
Very helpful, as I plan to build a home foundation with exterior insulation. One remaining question I had was regarding the exterior foundation wall area above grade and below the sill. It sounds like the best practice is to extend the water barrier, insulation, and dimple mat to the top of the foundation. But how is the outside of the mat then best covered above grade, both for durability and a finished look?
Another great video. Do you consult online?
Thank you so much, I do provide consulting services online, but it depends on the scope of the project. Cheers!
What are your thoughts on InSoFast for basement insulation?
what sort of considerations should be made when designing a walk out basement?
@@drew50 Well for starters, you have to treat the walls on the walkout side as above grade walls and insulate them accordingly using the right ratios. You also have to pay attention to the floor transition since there is potential for a major thermal bridge between the basement slab and the exterior environment. Few other things as well, but it mostly has to do with transitioning materials and components.
What are some methods for handling a partial basement? IE, a 400 sqft basement under a 900 sqft ground floor, with the remainder being peir and beam type crawlspace. It seems most of the houses here built before 1950 have this construction.
Typo at 3:10... "MJST" to "MUST"? Otherwise, great!
@@macsparks6186 Oops! Good catch, that one got past me.
When will you do a video on wood foundations?
Do you mean wood piers in pier and beam construction? Is that even done anymore?
@@Mikey__R No I mean build a stud wall for the basement wall. Then build the first floor wall the same way above.
@@multipotentialite I don't know about where you live, but that kind of basement would be against code where I live and wouldn't pass inspection. Even pressure treated wood rated for ground contact wouldn't last long with the kind of vapor pressure it would experience being used as a basement wall. There is a reason basements are almost universally made from concrete products.
@@r.j.bedore9884 It's in the International building code. Where do you live?
@@multipotentialite It's on the topic list, we actually cover how to address these in my ebook. But I will dedicate a full video to PWF soon.
Why would one use additional insulation if spray foaming.. at 2-3 “ depth anything added afterwards would be on the warm side
Icf is coming soon