Lstiburek on Permanent Wood Foundations

Joe Lstiburek built a lot of wood foundations in the early 1980s, and in this recent Building Science Corporation article he revisits the topic. Why talk about wood foundations now? “Folks want to stop using concrete and masonry,” writes Lstiburek, who goes on to explain how new materials – combined with his experience – make it easier to execute the finicky details needed to build trouble-free full wood foundations, crawlspaces, and even wood slab-on-grade foundations. “My best current recommendation is to use concrete footings, lay down the rigid insulation under the wood basement floor slab, run a fully adhered membrane over the top of everything including out over the perimeter footings. Then frame the wood basement floor – or use panels. Then frame the exterior walls – or use panels. Then install the fully adhered membrane and continuous exterior draining insulation on the exterior.”