New Construction

This concept home shows how smart design, advanced building practices, and modern technologies improve livability and energy performance by Rob Yagid

by Lynn S. Hayward

One builder's plan yields Vermont's most energy-efficient house by Al Rossetto

by John Spier

by William B. Rose

Waterproofing the foundation walls is only the first step; you also need a system of drains around the foundation that silt won't render useless by Larry Janesky

The bones beneath concrete's muscle, rebar has to be cut, bent and tied properly to do its job by Howard Stein

Dry-laid walls reinforced with steel and filled with concrete make a weathertight, bugproof house by Fred Leadbeater

Assembled with regular building skills, ICFs form airtight, insulating concrete walls that finish with standard materials by Andy Engel

They hold up the house, hold back the earth and keep out the water. If they're not level and square, you may end up custom-cutting every rafter. by Rick Arnold, Mike Guertin

Fill up a trench with concrete -- what's to know? If a house is going to stand on those little sidewalks, they'd better be straight, level and correctly placed. by Rick Arnold, Mike Guertin

by Thor Matteson

Used overseas successfully for decades, this innovative foundation system uses carefully placed insulation and a slab with integral footings instead of conventional deep frost walls by Christopher R. Kendall

by Robert L. Brungraber