My brother is still keen on retiring to the Bitterroot Valley in Montana and wants to build there. Does anyone know what kind of foundations are generally used there? He was thinking since the ground is rocky, they may just use slabs on grade, but even slabs require footings below frost, so how do you get around rocks and such? I said I thought there were slabs on grade that have lots of gravel and/or are insulated so as not to require footings and stem walls below grade down to frost level. Anyone know?
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Most houses built in Montana since WWII - and many of the older ones - have full basements. The floor of the Bitterroot Valley (where most of the houses are) is flat enough for irrigated farming, which suggests mostly alluvial soils.
Thanks for the quick reply. Since my brother is here visiting, I can tell him this right away.