Found 40 results for the keyword(s) ‘Foundation’

• Article

  Air Spaces in Walls -- Myth and Science -- Overview

    Walls often have air spaces hidden somewhere between the siding on the outside and the drywall on the inside.  Some are accidental -- some on purpose, even code required -- some served a purpose at one time in history but because of the evolution of construction, are no longer useful -- some a...
• Article

  Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations

  This article deals with walls below grade, foundation walls.  For insulating above grade cinder block walls see How do you Insulate a Brick and Block construction as well as Insulating an Above Grade Block Wall from the Inside. The best way to prevent water from leaking into the basement is not ...
• Article

  Gumbo Clay and what it does to your house.

  For those of you who have move into the area spreading roughly from Winnipeg to Regina, but you have not grown up in this area, the living nature of the soil itself may surprise you. Clay soil under and around a house can cause problems anywhere in Canada, but in this region there is a special cl...
• Article

  Peeling paint on a foundation wall.

  Michele in Hamilton, Ontario needs to repaint her cinder block walls on the outside of the basement. But a close look at a photo that she sent us showed a lot of deep holes or pock marks in the blocks. Not only the paint was peeling off, but the block itself was breaking off.  This is a sign o...
• Article

  Attaching a deck to a house

  The old days of stacking structure In the old days, before we had specialized hardware like joist hangers, we would always create beams, or low lying ledger boards and place the joists on top of them with some kind of toe-nail attachment. The arrival of joist hangers When joist hangers came in...
• Article

  Weather Restrictions: Elastomeric Liquid Waterproofing Coatings

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Concrete     Product: Elastomeric Liquid Waterproofing Coatings Temperature Limitations: Use above +10 C (+50 F)  and below +32 C (+90 F) Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours Wind Limitations:  ...
• Article

  Weather Restrictions: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Concrete     Product: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating Temperature Limitations: Water based products must be used above freezing -- Solvent based materials minimum -17 C (+1 F) Rain L...
• Article

  Weather Restrictions: Masonry based weather proofing coatings (parging)

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Masonry     Product: Masonry based weatherproofing coatings Temperature Limitations: Use above +7 C (+45 F) Rain Limitations: No rain until hardened -- about 8 hours Wind Limitations:  High wind c...
• Article

  Weather Restrictions: Butyl Caulking / Sealant

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Sealants (Caulking)     Product: Butyl Calking / Sealant Temperature Limitations: Above -20 C (-4 F) but with product above +5 C (+40 F) to flow easily. Rain Limitations: Apply to a dry surface Wi...
• Article

  HOW DO I INSULATE A SHALLOW BASEMENT?

  A basement that has more than 50 per cent of its height sticking out of the ground is not really a basement. The walls should be treated as ordinary, above-ground walls. The foundations should be treated as slab-on-grade to avoid frost problems. Interior/exterior insulation combinations can be u...