Building a PWF house in a fairly low lying area- most of the native soil is peat moss. Engineer says to backfill with sand or (washed) gravel. Does anyone have any idea which would be preferable? Sand wins out cost wise but not by a great deal and we’re thinking a lot of it will get washed down into the granular drainage layer beneath the house and we’ll have to top up the backill again later.
Any opinions?
Thanks, much appreciated!
Puzzle
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Built from locally sawn hemlock, this functional outdoor feature uses structural screws and metal connectors for fast, sturdy construction.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
what's a PWF ?
ok.... Permanent Wood Foundation
use a filter fabric over your drainage layer before you backfilkl and it won't matter wether you use the sand or the washed gravel
BTW...do you really mean washed gravel... or do you mean washed stone ?
if stone , then you would spec the screen size
Hmmm, good idea about the filter fabric! As for gravel or stone, what's the difference - is larger (or smaller) better? Thanks, I appreciate the input!
Puzzle
How much are you saving with a PWF?
Just curious as to why you are going with this.
Joe H
I don't know for a fact that we are saving anything. Our reasoning was just that as we are furniture makers by trade wood is what we know. Also we wanted a warmer, drier basement. Concrete basements always feel like a bunker to me!
Puzzle
Concrete basements always feel like a bunker to me!
Concrete basements don't have to feel like a bunker. With proper water proofing and insulation it can be as comfortable as any room of the home.
jt8
"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love." -- Saint Basil
I have a permament wood foundation for my walkout-basement shop built in the bottom of Glacial Lake Missoula. It's ALL sand here, so i backfilled with the sand that came out of the hole. I did have to jack some of the pipe posts set in concrete, used to support a deck around the house, after they settled in the sand a couple years later. The soil level didn't settle very much, but rather the footings settled into the sand. This was only about three posts out of 20 or so, but i should have used larger footings in that kind of soil.