I am starting a project in Coastal Maine (Hancock)in July. The soil is silt-clay-sand and is high (1/4 mi off coast, 72 ft elevation) with ledge rock all around. Ground water at 20".
We are doing a full 8' basement with walkout and 5-7 feet of backfill, full perimeter drains in & out to a daylight discharge on slope (covered with rock and hay to mitigate freezing), floating slab, 2 Piers for center columns (slab floats around lally columns. I've asked the contractor his opinion and from experience he stated that yes, slabs can lift, and that he can't guarantee anything. We decided adding 4-6" of stone under the slab will allow room for water to flow and/or provide some room to freeze. We'll also provide construction joints or score the slab into quarters.
Here's the beef. The residence will be weathertight by winter, but will NOT be insulated or heated. I'm told the soil generally stays @ 40 degrees F but have decided not to apply exterior insulation to the Foundation to allow the heat from ground to "warm" the unheated space thru the winter. Outside air temps can go below 0 but average 10-30 as lows.
Is this a cause for concern to heave the first winter? In subsequent winters, the house will be insulated, but still unoccupied. Perhaps a supplement of (2)100 watt bulbs will do the trick in the future, but what about the first winter?
(BTW, I apologize for accidently posting this in different Board on the site)
We are doing a full 8' basement with walkout and 5-7 feet of backfill, full perimeter drains in & out to a daylight discharge on slope (covered with rock and hay to mitigate freezing), floating slab, 2 Piers for center columns (slab floats around lally columns. I've asked the contractor his opinion and from experience he stated that yes, slabs can lift, and that he can't guarantee anything. We decided adding 4-6" of stone under the slab will allow room for water to flow and/or provide some room to freeze. We'll also provide construction joints or score the slab into quarters.
Here's the beef. The residence will be weathertight by winter, but will NOT be insulated or heated. I'm told the soil generally stays @ 40 degrees F but have decided not to apply exterior insulation to the Foundation to allow the heat from ground to "warm" the unheated space thru the winter. Outside air temps can go below 0 but average 10-30 as lows.
Is this a cause for concern to heave the first winter? In subsequent winters, the house will be insulated, but still unoccupied. Perhaps a supplement of (2)100 watt bulbs will do the trick in the future, but what about the first winter?
(BTW, I apologize for accidently posting this in different Board on the site)
