The fate of any house literally rests on its foundation. From design and excavation issues to formwork, reinforcement, drainage, and waterproofing details, this handy guide covers the full range of residential concrete work. Author Rick Arnold, a foundation contractor and coauthor of Precision Framing, walks the reader through all the steps. Also included are chapters on foundations built from materials other than concrete (blocks, ICFs, wood) and on flatwork (slabs, walkways, patios). These clear instructions for building a concrete foundation are accompanied by over 200 color photos and dozens of color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Taunton Press good(usually), this book bad. Only for NE builders.:
I frequently buy Taunton Press books. I usually enjoy their "By Pros, for Pros Series". That said, I hated this book. The first problem was that I saw duplicate material within 3 minutes. I own "Additions" by Taunton press, and yup, duplicate material. This book is "OK" for all you weekend builders, or people with absolutely no experience. However, any builder would be disappointed, this is an overview of what anyone with any common sense already knows, with no pro tips. Another... more info
excellent - just what I was looking for:
comprehensive book on concrete - just what I was looking for before building my own house.
Good for forms and site preparation:
Minimal coverage of additives, finishing, and concrete mix variations. Good coverage
of form building and setting. Not as complete as the title implies; really another formwork book.
good overview:
Covered many areas and ideas that were new to me (like rebar chairs and footing brackets), but I wish more coverage had been shown on dealing with hydronic tubing in slabs. Even the hydronic books lack specificity on how to maintain tubing at uniform location in slab so as not to be too deep, yet not so close to surface to prevent damage by saw-cut control joints. Would have also like to have seen more discussion on powered trowels for flatwork, and finishing stairs so as not to see formwork impressions on... more info
