DECK FOUNDATION COMPLETED

HERE YOU SEE Daniel, principal contractor, setting out the form-work for the footing in the Big Hole. Daniel is a remarkable fellow and has been in the business some 28 years...I count myself lucky to have discovered him.

While the excavating went along, I removed the fence on the existing deck (destined to be come compost pile frames) and treated the timber. All the timber from the renovations has a recycling destination within the overall project.

Once the form-work was completed, along came the Ready-Mix. Readers not living in North America may wonder why the footing is so deep. The reason for this is that, during the cold months, water in the soil freezes down about a metre causing the soil to expand displacing upwards any building elements above the 'frost level'. Footings either have to be frost protected or lie below this level. This is the main reason houses have basements. In the case of my project, the footings continue those already beneath the house structure, which is semi-buried within an earth berm.

Throughout the year, beneath the frost level, the earth remains at a constant 55 deg. F (13 deg Cel) which acts to cool the lower part of the house in the Summer and to warm it in the Winter...no kidding when the ambient temperature is below freezing, any assist from Mother Earth is very welcome. In the Winter, the challenge is to keep heat within the house structure. This house has two temperature controlled levels and I plan to keep the lower level at around 60 deg F to minimize loss to the surrounding earth. The upper level will run at 67 deg F and will mainly be heated in the day time by passive solar means. More on this later.

Within the footing will be a 'floating' concrete slab with a radiant heating loop supplied from the house system. This loop will have cold/hot water mixing to reduce the water temperature. The existing baseboard radiators require water at about 180 deg F. The reason for a radiant floor is to permit me to work with plants before Spring. As the area will also provide the main rear entrance to the house, it will also function as a mud room during the cold, wet months. The adjoining lower room is the laundry area which will also include a work bench. The deck will be extended over this new room, incorporating a roof below it to deflect rain and snow. With windows to the East and South, it should be pretty snug.

From the rear entrance steps will ascend to ground level. The window you see at the left middle will become the doorway into the laundry/work room. Now that the brick work is finished, the next job is to surround the foundation wall with insulating foam and provide a drain for the footings.

Beyond that will be the construction of the deck. Once that is done, Daniel will break into the laundry room to complete the entrance and also break into South wall of the upstairs bedroom. Here the plan is to introduce double French doors and a taller window to improve fenestration and passive solar heating. This will lead to the completion of the main upper bedroom (lots of work for me). On completion of this stage of the house remodel, the Japanese Bed will be moved from the lower level recreation room to this magnificent setting, and 'Yours Truly' will be able to wake with the morning sun and stroll out onto the deck. Yippee!!!

At the other end of the deck, the present sliding patio door (which has lost its seal) will be replaced with matching double French doors. The two deck areas will be joined by a narrow bridging deck at the top of ascending stairs from the rear path. All of this is a major alteration of how the house works in terms of egress and access. In cost, it will run to about 15% of the overall capital expenditure. The remaining pre-Winter project will be to turn the kitchen/dining area and the living room into one area.

During this time, the upgrade of the heating/hot water system will be proceeding. While it is somewhat 'rickety' and I am almost of the mind to let it go for another Winter and see how the house performs at heat management. Decisions about this over the next two weeks.

Critical issues are how well passive solar heating works with the enlarged areas and extra fenestration, and to what extent I can work to keep heat in by sealing air leaks and the like. The house has a lot of windows (equivalent to about 18 standard windows) all of which are good at loosing heat at night despite double glazing.