Foundation is one of the most labour intensive and expensive
parts of any building. In standard building a massive amount of concrete
is used for it. Though it is firm and strong, it is also expensive and
environmentally costly. Fortunately there are alternative foundation
solutions.
The most common mistake that first-time alternative
builders make is that they do not think of the foundation and use
standard solutions. The standard concrete solution is well-proven and
very common, but it annuls a lot of the positive environmental impact
that natural building entails.
Concrete is made of cement. Cement is created by burning limestone. Cement production is one of the highest sources of CO2 production and has numerous negative side-effects that derive from large scale quarry mining. Using concrete foundations is therefore not something that we would recommend. Instead you could consider the following options.
Earthbag foundations are made of polypropylene bags that are filled with soil, sand or gravel depending on the needs of the site and what material is locally available. The filled bags are stacked more or less the same as straw bales or bricks would be. Earthbag foundations are about as simple and inexpensive as possible as most of the used material is free or extremely cheap.
Another alternative is tire foundations. It might seem radical, but is actually quite well established. Used tires are filled with soil that is tightly packed together. The tires are then again stacked. The advantage of this method is that the main building material - the tires - are recycled and the rest - the earth - comes locally and costs nothing. Care must be taken though to avoid direct sunlight to the exposed tires. This applies to polypropylene bags used in earthbag construction as well. The cover can be achieved with simple plaster.
There is also the option to go medieval and use mortared stone. In areas where stones are readily available this is possible the best natural building method. Large stones are stacked together in the dig with mortar or cement. This provides immensely strong structures that can withstand literally centuries. The drawback is that even though the material is cheap, the labour is not and it does require a lot of (unskilled) labour. If you have time on your hands, it is a good alternative low-cost building option to consider.
In conclusion, whereas the foundation is usually the most expensive part of yor building, there are alternatives that can save you a lot of money without the negative environmental impact that cement foundations have. It is well worth taking an extra minute to think of possible alternatives to cement foundation.
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| source image building.co.uk |
Concrete is made of cement. Cement is created by burning limestone. Cement production is one of the highest sources of CO2 production and has numerous negative side-effects that derive from large scale quarry mining. Using concrete foundations is therefore not something that we would recommend. Instead you could consider the following options.
Earthbag foundations are made of polypropylene bags that are filled with soil, sand or gravel depending on the needs of the site and what material is locally available. The filled bags are stacked more or less the same as straw bales or bricks would be. Earthbag foundations are about as simple and inexpensive as possible as most of the used material is free or extremely cheap.
Another alternative is tire foundations. It might seem radical, but is actually quite well established. Used tires are filled with soil that is tightly packed together. The tires are then again stacked. The advantage of this method is that the main building material - the tires - are recycled and the rest - the earth - comes locally and costs nothing. Care must be taken though to avoid direct sunlight to the exposed tires. This applies to polypropylene bags used in earthbag construction as well. The cover can be achieved with simple plaster.
There is also the option to go medieval and use mortared stone. In areas where stones are readily available this is possible the best natural building method. Large stones are stacked together in the dig with mortar or cement. This provides immensely strong structures that can withstand literally centuries. The drawback is that even though the material is cheap, the labour is not and it does require a lot of (unskilled) labour. If you have time on your hands, it is a good alternative low-cost building option to consider.
In conclusion, whereas the foundation is usually the most expensive part of yor building, there are alternatives that can save you a lot of money without the negative environmental impact that cement foundations have. It is well worth taking an extra minute to think of possible alternatives to cement foundation.
