[GSBN] no Timber frame for Alberta house

[Frank Tettemer]

Hi all,

I've used horticultural Perlite under a standard construction wooden 
floor as insulation. Floor construction is 2x10 rim joists, fastened to 
a double width ICF stem wall, with floor joists hanging from the rim 
joists with metal joist hangers.
This stem wall was built from a double wide ICF with additional Styro SM 
in between the two adjacent grade beams. The usual frost protective 
skirt was laid out around the perimeter beam at 4' wide along the beams 
with 5' width around the outside corners, here in Central Ontario, Canada.
The perlite was packed onto the ground under the joists before/as they 
were being installed, to a depth of 12"  I can't really verify what the 
R-value is for such an insulation. Can anyone else comment on that?

One unsettling element of this type of construction is that there is no 
space to crawl in.  Plumbing is placed under the floorm, in conduits 
with pull-ropes.  Should something occur, where pull-ropes can't help 
the situation, there will be no choice except to tear up the floor.  
Careful advance planning is needed, to allow for future renovations, or 
any change in plubing design.

I do think that building in such a manner has the best heat loss options 
for our reasonably cold climate. I don't know how to duplicate this 
warmth using concrete columns/posts for a foundation.  And rodent 
proofing is a lot easier for this type of construction.

Perhaps there are details that I'm just not aware of that could make a 
good warm foundation, using piers and a crawl space?

Frank

-- 
Frank Tettemer
Living Sol ~ Building and Design
www.livingsol.com
613 756 3884