Basement - pouring walls and dimple board

Basement - insulated concrete forms

Quad-lock Insulated Concrete forms were picked up in Calgary.

We chose Quad-Lock forms because it gave us the ability to increase the R-value over standard ICFs.  Here you can see the 4 1/4" outer wall and the 2 1/4" inner wall, yielding R-32

Footings

It is hard to believe that on Monday morning we still had a house and by Friday afternoon the footings for the new house had been poured. 

Footings

We ordered a mix with 40% fly ash added to the concrete.  Fly ash is a waste product from coal-fired power plants and replaces portland cement, which has very high embodied energy because a large amount of carbon dioxide is generated in the production of cement.  This should lower the carbon footprint of the house and results in a stronger concrete.  The only drawback is that it sets slower, but there were no complaints from the guys with the trowels.

Demolition Day

Salvage

After salvaging the beautiful old clear larch off the walls, we found aluminum foil hung on the walls.  We can only guess this was a form of insulation, as behind the next layer of wood there was no insulation to be found!

A family friend salvaged several windows for a cottage he is building, another friend salvaged the appliances, a neighbor took our wood stove.  We also salvaged loads of wood, 2 cast iron tubs, interior solid wood doors, wood cooking range, a light fixture, medicine cabinet, outside bricks, chimney pipe....

The old home

Every building has a lifespan.  Our current house is feeling very tired and has come to the end of its life.  Built in the 1920s in two pieces it leaves much to be desired from many perspectives.  It is poorly insulated (4 inches of fiberglass batts in the ceiling) and the walls are leaning outward.  Half the house does not have a foundation, just a dirt crawlspace we have to heat to keep the water lines from freezing.  The plumbing is crazy and the wiring is scary.  One outlet recently started to smoke when we had the microwave on for more than a minute... 

It isn't, however, without its redeeming qualities.  Beautiful wood trim and floors give the home a lot of character and it is has been very functional for our family and several families before us.  In spite of this, we decided it was time to rebuild.