[Greenbuilding] Advanced Framing SFPF or FPSF

[Tom Wiprud]

Lawrence Lile asked,    What's SFPF?    Here is what these letters stand
for.   SFPF= Shallow Frost Protected Footings.    FPSF= Frost Protected
Shallow Footings.   It is really a neat concept.  They have used it in
Europe for years.  Europe is about 20 years ahead of us in conserving
everything.  The footings can be as shallow as 16 inches below grade.  The
key to these footings is rigid insulation.  It is under the slab, along the
inside and outside of the footing walls, it is laid horizontally around the
perimeter (about 4 ft out)  and it usually is increased on the corners,
because that is where the most heat loss takes place.  Most of the
insulation used is the 2 in thick, R-10 insulation.  Also must have a good
layer of 3/4 rock under, and around the foundation, for drainage. Sand is
the worst thing you can put under you slab. If  you have poly under it, and
the sand gets wet (capillary action) the only way it can dry is up, through
the floor, and that could take years, and cause a lot of problems.

    A couple of years ago at the Energy Design Conference in Duluth, MN.  a
film was shown about their houses (a 100 year old house over there is almost
new) which this particular one had a few rotted beams.  They numbered all
the beams, took them apart, replaced the rotted ones and rebuilt the house.
What do you think we do here in wasteful America?  I someone tears down a
building to build something new, they just call in a demo crew, everything
is flattened, loaded on some dump trucks and hauled to the landfill. 

    Type in one of these footings and see what comes up.  It is a lot of
reading, but you will gain a wealth of info, so you can build your next
house a little better and more energy efficient.     Happy reading       Tom

    One more thing I just thought of.  Never carpet a basement floor.  At
some point in time, it will get wet and then mold starts to grow.  Bad idea.