Site Work and Foundations

Hold back the earth with blocks, concrete, timbers, or stone. Here's how different systems stack up. by Eric Nelson

Stacked on a stable base, interlocking concrete blocks offer a mortarless solution to common landscaping problems by Andy Beasley

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

Save your mortar for pointing, bed your stones in concrete, and remember there's no substitute for gravity by Stephen Kennedy

Precision-ground concrete blocks make it easy to build a wall by Rob Thallon