>The foundation is where you get most of your moisture from.
As a general statement this might be true, but my experience
says there are some qualifiers.
A few years ago i proved (to myself) that a leaky basement
can be kept dry simply keeping the water away. In our case
we were on the side of a hill and constructed some drainage
paths and a few overhangs. Slowly over a few years the
basement dried. This was on clay soil and other soils
may have different properties, so it isn't a general
rule either.
Each site has its own characteristics for soil, topography,
rain, humidity, and different rules may apply.
I had a friend who's house was 12 inches above the water
table in the winter. They were on the typical slab over
gravel and it was a real mess. They eventually moved
and the house was torn down as unsafe.
>The base of
>your foundation should be either crushed rock, or 6 inches of compacted
>sand to make a floating foundation. Crushed rock is the least labor
>intensive as you do not need to compact it. Compacted sand is best if
>you live in an area where there is severe ground freezing and heaving.
>On top of the sand pad place 6-mil plastic/vinyl barrier and on top of
>that rigid-foam insulation. Use Dow Blue Styrofoam under the footings as
>only Blue Styrofoam has the necessary resistance against compression
>under the footings. On top of this pour your concrete foundation. You
>now have a warm, dry floor that will NOT suck the heat out of your house
>in winter nor will it be damp.
This sounds like conventional building practice, and there
may be other choices that fit ecological paths better. It
all depends upon what materials are available locally and how
the house is designed to work. Rock and mortar floors may be
good for some sites. Others might use wood. In our house
the slab isn't insulated and is the heat storage medium. In
summer it cools the house. Adding the BlueBoard would just
add more garbage to the planet.
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Jeff Owens ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Zone 7
Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV
