BASC Search | Building America Solution Center

The daylight basement walls are made of concrete walls with integrated rigid foam and steel-faced concrete studs.

Image

Right - Closed-cell spray foam covers the interior of the foundation wall and wall framing is placed to the inside of the spray foam.

Image

Right - The basement walls are wrapped with 3 inches of XPS rigid foam that will be taped at the seams then covered with a dimpled plastic water barrier.

Image

The basement is constructed with precast concrete walls lined with R-21.3 foil-faced rigid foam while an R-10 layer of XPS rigid foam covers the ground under the slab.

Image

The basement walls’ interior framing is set in 3 inches from the concrete to allow space for closed-cell foam that is sprayed directly on the concrete, then blown cellulose is added to fill the wall cavity.

Image

Foundation wall interior polyisocyanurate, foil-faced, exposed

CAD File

DOE ZERH HIA 2013 Case Study: Preferred Builders, Old Greenwich, Connecticut

Case Study

Case study describing a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home 2013 Housing Innovation Award Winner in Old Greenwich CT, that scored HERS 42 without PV and HERS 20 with PV.

Damp-Proof Exterior Surface of Below-Grade Walls

Guide

Guide describing how to apply water management strategies to below-grade walls.

Termite shield with exterior rigid foam above and below

CAD File

Floor Above Unconditioned Basement or Vented Crawlspace

Video

Video describing how to properly air-seal floors above unconditioned basements and vented crawlspaces.

Spray foam on a stone or rubble foundation

CAD File

Passive House Basement Foundation Walls: Karuna Video #3

Video

Video describing the details of the basement foundation walls in a passive house.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Insight Homes: Deep Creek, Seaford, Delaware

Case Study

Case study describing a home builder that has refined its home designs to achieve HERS scores of 49 to 56 on 40 to 70 homes per year.

Spray foam on concrete foundation wall with framed interior wall

CAD File

Pre-Retrofit Assessment of Crawlspaces and Basements

Information Guide

Information guide describing things to consider when considering home retrofits in the basement or crawlspace including HVAC, wiring, or structural systems.

Evaluation of Crawlspace Retrofits in Multifamily Buildings

Reference

Report analyzing results in crawlspace retrofits in multifamily buildings.

Concrete Floor Problems, BSI-003

Reference

Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations Reduce Costs, Save Energy

Reference

Article describing frost-protected shallow foundations with construction drawing details.

Small Commercial Building Fact Sheet - Building Envelope

Reference

Fact sheet describing building envelope performance measures applicable to residential and small commercial construction.

Cold Climate Building Techniques and Concepts: building a raised floor

Video

Video from Cold Climate Housing Research Center describing building a raised floor in cold climates for air-sealing and insulation purposes.

Structural system components of a basement

Image

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations 1

Reference

Guides describing frost-protected shallow foundations as an alternative method for building an energy-efficient foundation for a house in a cold climate that uses less concrete and saves on labor.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations

Reference

Article describing what the building codes say about frost-protected shallow foundations as a cost-saving alternative to conventional concrete foundations.