r/Homebuilding

Additional question:

I’m building a boundary wall (1.2m height) for a 35m x 35m fuel station site, which will see heavy vehicle movement (up to ~100-ton loads).

Soil context:

• Natural soil: black cotton soil
• Filled with ~1.5 ft black cotton soil (compacted)
• Topped with ~1.5 ft red soil (compacted, ~1 year old)
• Additional 3–4 ft filling planned (red soil + aggregates + pavers) to reach road level

Given these conditions, what would be the most reliable and cost-effective material for the boundary wall?

Options I’m considering:

• Red bricks
• Fly ash bricks
• Precast concrete blocks/panels
• Interlocking bricks (any specific type/design recommended?)

Looking for suggestions based on durability, performance on expansive soil, and long-term maintenance.

Long story short, I own half of small car dealership. I have nothing to do with the day to day management of this place.

The manager needed more space for various things needed to run a business so we purchased a Quonset hut and hired a contractor to put it up. We were advised to double the thickness of the foundation due to the proximity to a retaining wall and winter ice could crack the foundation and ruin the structure of the hut. This was verbal conveyed to the builder and put in writing.

The foundation is poured and the baseplate is installed into it. They poured the manufacturer recommended foundation and not our beefed up version. Quality of work is great, it’s finished better than my freaking patio.

I called the builder and asked him what the fuck and he’s meeting us on Monday to discuss a resolution. He is essentially an intermediary with the Amish who actually do the work.

Breaking it up seems like a waste, not to mention my baseplate is literally fused to the foundation. So we would have to order a new one. This is further complicated by the fact the hut was bought second hand (never assembled, sat in a pole barn) and is several years old. Who knows if they still make that same baseplate.

Questions:

If we decide to keep the foundation how do I calculate the new lower price.

If I want it ripped up, and he says no. What then?

Hi all,

I’m planning to build a boundary wall for a fuel station (35m x 35m). The wall height will be ~1.2m above ground level.

Soil context:

• Natural soil: black cotton soil
• Filled with ~1.5 ft black cotton soil (compacted with roller)
• Topped with ~1.5 ft red soil (compacted) about a year ago
• To reach road level, I still need to fill an additional 3–4 ft (planning red soil + large aggregates + pavers)

Questions:

1. Should I construct the boundary wall first and then do the remaining filling and compaction? Will post-construction compaction affect wall strength?
2. Or is it better to complete all filling/compaction first and then construct the wall?
3. The site will handle heavy vehicles (~100-ton loads). Any specific precautions for foundation or wall design given this?

Would really appreciate guidance, especially from civil engineers or anyone with experience building on black cotton soil. Thanks in advance!

Hello builders. I could use some advice. My partner and I want to build a home together. I've been doing a ton of research on building science in my region here in Alaska. I've read the manuals that UAF and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has. My partner is pushing for ICF, but I really can't find a ton of data on residential ICF buildings here in Alaska. There's a ton of information detailing each step on how to build a traditional stick build house here in Alaska. All the links for international and local codes are there as well. I can't find that info on ICF houses and it seems like they're kinda new to Alaska.

My partner wants to build an ICF house, because of the long term savings and efficiency on energy use. However, we want to build the majority of the house together as both a cool experience and to save money. The lack of available info, the learning curve for the both of us, the fact that we live in a seismic 4 area with about 12,000 days requiring heat has me...really really hesitant.

Our house build is super simple: 800 square foot, single story, mono pitch roof on a crawl space foundation.

Edit: sounds like this is a non-issue as it seems generally very standard practice to use the site portable toilet (which is cleaned regularly) and not the finished existing bathrooms inside the house being renovated.

we are doing a major addition to our home. we will be keeping two full existing bathrooms as part of the renovation. project is underway but has been outside so far (foundation work). we have a portable toilet rented for the duration of the project.

I don't want to be a snob, but I don't want our existing bathrooms being used by the crew during the renovation. I think this would put a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on them. one bathroom has marble finishes so requires special maintenance and care. The other bathroom is more simple/basic, but I am also concerned about those finishes not holding up very well to work boots and not being cleaned regularly.

I keep hearing horror stories from people about things getting really beat up or pee bottles in the wall due to lack of bathroom access. however, we will have the portable toilet outside and it's going to be during the spring/summer months so it's not like they have to deal with winter etc.

we are adding two new bathrooms. maybe they will install a temporary toilet in one of those once the plumbing is in?

am I overthinking this...? am I being a snob? or do you have any thoughts on making this go smoothly? I looked into getting a credit for the portable toilet and letting them use the indoor more basic bathroom, but the money saved would not be nearly enough to spruce it up if it gets excessive wear.

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a new custom home and trying to decide on the best fireplace layout.

Option 1: A fireplace on the main floor with a bump-out, and a matching build-out directly below in the basement (so no cantilever).

Option 2: A fireplace built within the wall, so it projects slightly into the family room instead.

Option 3: A cantilevered fireplace on the main floor with no build-out below.

Details:

•	Only 1 fireplace (main floor) in a 2-story home

•	Around a 5 ft linear gas fireplace

•	Want a low-profile look (max \~18” depth)

From a structural, cost, and long-term perspective, which option tends to be best? Any pros/cons or things I should watch out for?

Appreciate any advice!

I recently had geotechnical drilling conducted on strip mined land to determine what I need to do to prevent potential foundation issues.

My first impression was the fill material from 0’-14’ was pretty soft. I’m still waiting on the report to see what the engineer recommends but I foresee potentially having to install piers or something similar reaching 10’-14’ below the ground surface (where the reclaimed fill material stopped). I’m planning on having a 13 coarse basement.

Does anyone have any experience with the price per pier when constructing a house? Looks like I’m seeing maybe $300-$600/pier. The $2000/pier number I’m seeing looks like it more for foundation repair and not construction.

Appreciate any information. Just trying to game plan for the possible scenarios.

title. barn is probably 30 years old, and thinking about insulating it to try to help during times of extreme heat/cold.

i'm aware infiltration will have a significant affect, and am working on that separately.

I'm thinking of installing 2" foil faced polyiso inside the barn, fastening either directly to the plywood or to the studs. assuming i can make that work logistically, is there any issue i'm missing? is it better to have an air gap? is an air barrier a must-have? anything else?

Is there any sort of happy medium between actually building a house and a pre-built modular?

I’ve found some land that I would love to have a little cottage on, I just don’t think I can manage/afford building from scratch. I’m not a fan of the look of modular/mobile and want something a little sturdier.

Am I looking for a unicorn?