3 House Foundation 3.1 Description 3.1.1. Nature And Size 3.1.1.1. Type. The building foundation shall be a turned-down-edge monolithic slab on grade, sized and insulated as a frost-protected shallow foundation ("FPSF") installation in accord with the applicable design procedures specified at 1.4.2. 3.1.1.2. Size. The outside-perimeter dimensions of the foundation shall be 64'0" by 32'1". 3.1.1.3. Footings. The turned-down-edge integral footing of the slab shall be 12 inches in width and extend to a depth of at least 12 inches below grade, as shown on the design drawings. 3.1.1.4. Drainage Layer. You shall place continuous under the integral-footing base a minimum depth of 6 inches of washed, compacted, screened crushed rock or river gravel of 3/4 inch to 1-1/2 inches size, with no fines allowed (a Number 4 mix may be used). You shall wrap that layer, with overlap, in suitable woven filter fabric (you may use soil-stabilization fabric). 3.1.1.5. Slab Thickness. The slab, exclusive of the integral footings, shall be 6 inches in thickness. The slab shall be equipped with sole-plate anchors, as described at 3.1.7 below, placed as required. 3.1.1.6. Under-Slab Gravel. You shall place a layer of well-tamped gravel of the same kind as used for the drainage layer described at 3.1.1.4 above under the slab; the layer shall be of a 6-inch depth after tamping, and shall overlie the under-slab insulating board described at 3.1.2.3 below. 3.1.1.7. Heater Support. You shall provide a suitable thickening of the slab in the area under where the masonry heater will go, the said thickening and placement of insulation and vapor barrier in it to be as detailed on the design drawings. 3.1.2 Insulation 3.1.2.1. Material. All foundation insulation shall be with Type IV (per ASTM C 578-92) extruded polysterene ("XPS"). The boards used shall be 1 inch thick and shiplap or tongue-and-groove type and not simple butt-edged. 3.1.2.2. Footings. The outer face of the slab integral footings shall be fully covered with four layers of insulation, vertically staggered as shown on the design drawings. 3.1.2.3. Slab. The slab proper shall overlie three layers of insulation, placed under the gravel described at 3.1.1.6 above. You may use instead two layers, one of 2-inch- thickness board; if you do, the thinner layer shall be at the bottom. 3.1.3 Vapor Barrier 3.1.3.1. Placement. You shall place under the entire slab a continuous vapor barrier as detailed herein. 3.1.3.2. Material. The vapor barrier shall be composed of the proprietary material "Tu-Tuff 4" (Sto-Cote Products; Drawer 310; Richmond, IL 60071). 3.1.3.3. Roll Size. The barrier material shall be ordered in a roll size, such as 100 feet by 32 feet, sufficient to eliminate any need for seams or joints. 3.1.3.4. Placement. The barrier sheet shall be run atop the lowest layer of the under-slab insulating boards described at 3.1.2.3 above. The barrier sheet shall overlap that board by between 3 and 4 inches at all edges, with the excess folded down and tucked under that board as shown in the design drawings. 3.1.3.5. Integrity. You shall take great care to assure that the vapor barrier is absolutely integral and at no point torn or punctured during placement or the pouring of the foundation concrete. 3.1.4. Foundation Integrity. You shall not allow any wiring, plumbing, or other materials or conduits, except as may be expressly provided elsewhere in these specifications or the associated drawings and notes, to underlie or penetrate the foundation insulation or foundation vapor barrier at any point. 3.1.5 Reinforcing. 3.1.5.1 Footings 3.1.5.1.1. Rebar. You shall reinforce the lower part of the integral footings with #5 rebar, lap-spliced (with wiring) a minimum of 40 bar diameters and covered by a minimum of 3 inches of concrete. The bar shall be placed 3 inches above the bottom of the footings. You shall take care that the bar splices are solid and continuous. 3.1.5.1.2. Secural. You shall firmly secure all reinforcing bars in true horizontal and vertical positioning with sufficient rigidity to prevent displacement during pouring of concrete, including using wire "chairs." 3.1.5.2 Slab 3.1.5.2.1. Main Area. Prior to the slab pour, you shall place 6"-by-6" wire mesh reinforcing of 6-gauge or better throughout the slab area such that the mesh will be no closer to the top or bottom of the finished 6-inch slab than 1-1/2 inches. 3.1.5.2.2. Perimeter. You shall reinforce the slab perimeter with 1/2-inch-diameter bar, lap-spliced (with wiring) a minimum of 40 bar diameters and covered by a minimum of 3 inches of concrete. The bar shall be placed 3 inches in from the outer edge of the slab. You shall take care that the bar splices are solid and continuous. 3.1.5.2.3. Heater Area. The slab area under the masonry heater, described at 10 below, shall be reinforced with #5 rebar in a 1-foot o.c. grid as shown on the design drawings. 3.1.5.3. Garage Ties. You shall place in the west side of the house slab 3-foot lengths of #5 rebar pointing west, placed 18 inches o.c., with half their length embedded in the house slab and the other half extending out from the west perimeter as shown on the design drawings. The perimeter insulating board described at 3.1.2.2 above shall be penetrated as necessary by these rebar lengths. 3.1.6 Concrete 3.1.6.1. Source. You shall obtain needed concrete from a "ready-mix" supplier, prepared as specified herein. 3.1.6.2. Delivery Scheduling. You shall so plan concrete pours that no more than 90 minutes shall pass between batching and placing, with the shortest possible time preferred. 3.1.6.3. Slump. The slump shall be 3 to 4 inches. 3.1.6.4. Air Content. The air content shall be between 5 and 7 percent. 3.1.6.5. Aggregates. The coarse-aggregate size used shall be the largest practicable. Fine-aggregate quantity shall be maintained at the minimum which will just produce adequate workability and finishing characteristics. All aggregate used shall be from a single source and shall be guaranteed by the supplier to be of non-reactive material. 3.1.6.6. Cement. All cement used shall be of the same type and brand and shall all be from the same source. It shall be Type I-II gray cement. No fly ash shall be used. 3.1.6.7. Sand. All sand used shall be light-tan sand. 3.1.6.8. Compressive Strength. The post-cure strength of the poured concrete shall be at least 3,500 p.s.i. 3.1.6.9. Air Entraining. The concrete shall not be an air-entraining type. 3.1.6.10. Chlorides. The concrete mix shall contain no calcium chloride or other admixtures containing chloride ions. 3.1.6.11. Shrinkage. The mix shall be of the lowest-shrink type compatible with the other requirements herein. 3.1.7 Anchors 3.1.7.1. Type. All anchors shall be "J"-type anchors of at least 1/2-inch diameter. 3.1.7.2 Placement. You shall place all required anchors and bolts in true horizontal and vertical positioning, to a minimum depth into the concrete of 7", at such a time and in such a way as to assure their rigid anchoring without disturbing the strength or integrity of the foundation. 3.1.8 Slab Treatment 3.1.8.1. Finish. The surface of the slab, treated with an "acid-staining" coloration technique as described at 3.3.3 below, is to be the finish floor throughout the house. 3.1.8.2. Slab Materials & Processes. You shall consult with the finishing subcontractor prior to ordering any foundation materials or doing any foundation work, and shall be guided by that subcontractor's specifications for materials and processes that will create a final surface suitable for the intended treatment. In the event of any material conflict between any such recommendations and these specifications, you shall notify us of the conflict and await our resolution thereof before proceeding with the ordering or work involved. 3.1.8.3. Protection Of Slab. Due care for the slab surface extends beyond the actual creation thereof and encompasses the actions of all workers on the job; you shall take great care that such workers are aware of and act in accord with the need to treat the slab surface as the finish floor, avoiding harm thereto including actual damage to the surface or any stains thereon or therein. 3.1.8.4. Time Of Treatment. You shall consult with the finishing subcontractor on the optimum time for application of the stain treatment, in regard both to the curing and aging of the concrete and to the progress of the overall work. 3.1.9. Under-Soil Runoff Barrier. You shall excavate as required and place around the perimeter of the foundation a sloped moisture-runoff barrier, as shown on the design drawings, of the same material as the vapor barrier described at 3.1.3 above. That barrier shall extend from under the perimeter-insulation flashing described at 3.4 below and extend out to a minimum distance of 30 inches from that flashing; you shall take due care to lap the barrier substantially at all corners. The barrier shall slope down away from the house at approximately a 10% slope. 3.2 Fabrication 3.2.1 Excavation And Trenching 3.2.1.1. Preliminary Area Excavation. You shall remove the topsoil from the foundation location, with amounts as required for final grading stored separately, to a depth of approximately 9 inches and an area sufficient to encompass the foundation, but excavating 6 inches deeper where the under-heater support footing described at 3.1.1.7 above is to lie. 3.2.1.2. Preliminary Finishing. After the area excavation as described in 3.2.1.1 above but before any further site work, you shall verify that the exposed subgrade in the excavated area is solid, well-compacted, level, and dry, and if it is not you shall take corrective measures as may be necessary to assure that it is made so. 3.2.1.3. Footer Trenching. You shall trench and excavate as necessary for the footings, drainage layer, footing insulation, and forms therefor. You shall verify that the exposed subgrade in the trenched area is solid, well- compacted, level, and dry, and if it is not you shall take corrective measures as may be necessary to assure that it is made so. 3.2.2 Footing 3.2.2.1. Drainage Layer. You shall place in the footing trench bottom the filter wrapping material, then place the required depth of gravel and, if appropriate, compact it. You shall then complete the wrapping of the gravel layer, taking care to provide adequate overlap of the top edges of wrapping material. 3.2.2.2. Forms. You shall properly place the perimeter insulating board, carefully matching up the shiplap or tongue-and-groove board edges and lapping the board at all corners for full coverage; you shall, supplying adequate support, use that board as the perimeter-footing and slab form. Neatly formed earth may be used as the lower part of the inner footing form (the insulating board and underslab gravel provides the rest). 3.2.2.3. Insulation Flashing. You shall install flashing, as described at 3.4 below, to protect the perimeter insulation; that flashing shall extend downward to at least 6 inches below grade. 3.2.3. Slab 3.2.3.1. First Insulation Layer. You shall place the first horizontal layer of the under-slab XPS insulation, cut so that it just fully covers the area defined by the inner edges of the integral footings, carefully matching up the shiplap or tongue-and-groove board-edge joints. The board bottom faces shall be 15 inches below the level of the final slab top surface. 3.2.3.2. Vapor Barrier. You shall cover that first horizontal insulation layer with the required vapor barrier described at 3.1.3 above. You shall carefully and tautly fold the edge-lap excess of the vapor barrier over the edge of the horizontal insulation course and tuck it flat thereunder, sandwiched between that horizontal layer and the underlying soil. You shall take special care with the folding at the four corners so as to provide a smooth, flat surface of barrier material. 3.2.3.3. Final Insulation Layer. You shall cover the vapor barrier with the remaining layer or layers of horizontal XPS insulating board, taking care that the perimeter edges of all horizontal layers are flush with one another. You shall alternate the pattern of board laying (that is, the direction of the long axis of each board) from layer to layer. 3.2.3.4. Gravel. You shall fill the area over the insulating board with gravel, as described at 3.1.1.6 above, to a depth of 6 inches over the insulation, taking due care at the perimeter of the insulated area. 3.2.3.5. Reinforcing. You shall place over the gravel all slab reinforcing rebar and mesh as described at 3.1.5 above. 3.2.3.6. Slab Proper. You shall then pour, in accord with 3.2.4 below, the slab over the gravel. 3.2.4 Slab Pour 3.2.4.1. Weather. You shall schedule the pour, so far as practicable, for a period when the ambient temperature is expected to be mild and consistent for several days. You shall not schedule any concrete work if rain, snow, or frost is likely, based on applicable weather forecasts. 3.2.4.2. Water. Under no circumstances is water to be added to a concrete batch or any portion thereof, nor put into a concrete pump nor onto any tools used to work the concrete. 3.2.4.3. Movement. You shall distribute concrete by moving it with shovels. It shall not be moved by vibrating. 3.2.4.4 Floating And Troweling 3.2.4.4.1. Timing. You shall wait until the bleed-water "sheen" has disappeared before starting floating and troweling, but shall commence immediately thereafter. 3.2.4.4.2. Floating. You shall bull-float the slab after striking off. You shall not perform tamping unless the slump is 1 inch or less. 3.2.4.4.3. Troweling. You shall hold troweling to the minimum possible amount. 3.2.4.6. Forms Removal. You shall remove all forms at such a time and in such a way as to assure the strength and integrity of the foundation, but in no event sooner than 24 hours after the pour. 3.3 Slab Treatment And Curing 3.3.1. Control Joints. You shall do any expansion-joint sawcutting, with all cutting residue thereafter carefully rinsed off the slab, prior to framing work; you shall not use any muriatic acid wash on the slab. You shall cut any such joints to a depth of 1-1/2 inches and a width of 1/4 inch; the spacing between cuts shall be not over 10 feet. You shall plan the location of any such joint cuts in consultation with us. 3.3.2. Curing. No curing compunds are to be applied to the slab. 3.3.3. Cure Time. You shall take care to apply no load to the finished slab until it has had enough cure time to assume sufficient strength to assure that no damage, practical or esthetic, will come to the slab from any applied load, including walking on it. As noted at 3.1.8.3 above, you shall take great care that all workers are aware of and act in accord with the need to treat the slab surface as the finish floor, avoiding harm thereto including actual damage to the surface or any stains thereon or therein. 3.3.4 Finish Staining. The slab surface shall be colored by the acid-stain technique in Kemiko's "English Red" color. You shall select the staining subcontractor in consultation with us. The subcontractor shall have had material prior experience with use of acid staining of slab surfaces as an interior finish floor. Unless another time is specifically requested by the staining subcontractor, you shall schedule the slab-surface finish staining for at least 60 days after the pour; if reasonably possible, the staining shall be done before application of the inside finish wall material described at 6.1.2 below. 3.3.5. Sealing. You shall seal or not seal the finished slab in accord with direction from the subcontractor who will do the acid-stain finishing thereof; if it is to be sealed, you shall also do that sealing in accord with appropriate direction from and scheduling by that subcontractor. You shall apply any required sealer in full accord with the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations, except where the finish subcontractor may require or advise differently as set forth above herein. You shall take care to coat the surface uniformly, avoiding puddling or runoff. You shall not use plastic sheeting, membrane paper, intermittant wetting and drying, or any silicate-type hardeners. 3.4 Insulation Protection 3.4.1. Material. You shall cover the exterior perimeter footing insulation with flashing composed of galvanized steel. 3.4.2. Placement. You shall so fashion the insulation flashing that it will continuously cover the external slab perimeter insulation as shown in the design drawings. The flashing shall extend upward under the siding far enough to allow adequate nailing secural to the sheathing. You shall lap adjacent sections of flashing at least 2 inches with the lap sealed by dual beads of caulk. 3.4.3. Finish. You shall paint the exterior surface of the flashing with a paint suitable for the metal surface and exterior exposure in a color to closely match the roof color as described at 5.3, below.