i bought my home and i have no basement,mines dirt!!!!

 

prep, i believe the ICF does have to be boarded to pass the final inspection before occupancy, but i'm not 100% sure on that. A wood basement, with the Blueskin moisture barrier properly applied, properly backfilled, etc... will not leak or rot ever. another bonus to it is if the backfilling ever moves or the earth shifts, wood will flex while the concrete will just snap causing a crack, thus causing leakage. i just did some reading on the ICF website, ICForming - Frequently Asked Questions and while they present some pretty strong info towards them, notice that you still need to put a moisture barrier below grade. the styrofoam is only a R24 rating, remember that real numbers will put this at about 3/4 of what they say...a 2x8 wood framed basement would allow for R40. as for fire rating, they say the ICF is fire rated for 3 hours. honestly... tell me that you believe that the styrofoam is going to last more than 5 minutes in a blazing fire?? the fumes and gasses emmitted from the styrofoam will kill you in short order. of course the concrete won't burn for a long time, but you'd be long poisoned with fumes. yes, i'd board it with some fire rated d/wall.

after putting some more thought into it, i think my list changes to wood, concrete, then ICF if there's no other resort...

 

Stony Rapids, cigar lake, Rabbit lake, and just across the border in the NWT.

 

Any Nascar fans up here? It's Daytona day!

 

Again thanks for the great info, and discussion! thanks for the link too, Im going to pass it on to Sandi. The more I sit here and think about it, the more Im starting to lean towards a wood basement. I think from all the reading I have done, I would leave a concrete to the back of them though. Im strictly thinking the moisture factor. My parents have a concrete,and its stood the test of time really well, doesnt leak or anything, but every once in awhile it does get that musty kind of smell in it, from moisture.

Regarding the ICF though, for isulation value, I was under the impression that it was alot higher then r24, after you have drywall and whatnot the r value was around the r50. I could be mistaken on the value, but I do recall the basement guy saying it was higher then what the icf blocks were rated (but he coulda been trying to sell us on that too lol)

Now heres another thing regarding wood basements. We actually had one in our house in PA, and it would leak a little bit, after watering our front lawn for awhile. Now that house wasnt built for us, we boght it used, and im thinking they might not have prepared the basement properly, with gravel as backfill the whole way down. Thoughts/opinions?

The other thing, is we are planning a basement with a walkout door on the one side. Would that structually take away alot from the one side of the house, if we went with wood? We are also planning a steel beam to go across our basement, instead of having those posts in the basement, would that cause any problems?

Sandi was also curious if you know a good wood basement guy that she could call up and talk to, and find out some information from.

 

yep,
watching it right now.

 

frigging computer. i had a long informative reply here then it kicked me off...

 

I like NASCAR.

The nationwide race was good yesterday to, I got to see the end of it.

 

We don`t get the Nascar channel. Keep us posted on what happens.

 

anyway, Prep, here's a pretty good website with some PWF wood basement info Permanent Wood Foundations InfoBase around here, the framers build the basement to spec, there isn't a specific "wood basement team". i'll ask a few builders if they have some good info, or if they'd mind a call from you for some info...

wood basements of the past were just tarred, rarely backfilled properly, and no proper drainage away from the footings. modern day habits are really improved and leakage is almost 100% avoidable if the basement is properly built. of course, this plays a part in any part of the building process, regardless of what system you use. if it isn't done right, it won't perform the way it should.

as you're already doing, educating yourself is the best thing to do. this way you can ensure that the tradespersons are doing the task the right way and not just "how they've done it for 30+ years... "

the walk out won't present a problem, the beam won't present a problem. pockets are framed in the walls during construction same as they'd be in concrete or ICF construction.

what are you using for a floor system?? 2x10, I-beam silent floor, or open web floor trusses?? there are pro's/cons to each...

i stress using plywood opposed to OSB for the subfloor as well. plywood is more money, but its a lot more durable and easier to work on top of if the floor gets wet during the construction process....

 

it happens sherm.

 

ohhh we will!
i also have a guy coming to look at one of my race cars. and he's bringing a trailer. hope he takes it home with him.

 

Get Mike Holmes to build your house...I am sure it will never leak then.

 

Never heard of a wood basement. Enlighten me.

 

down here they are called multi-level houses and its built above ground. my mom had a house like that it seemed hold up pretty well.