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Building a Stone Foundation - Part 1:

Introduction

What is a stone foundation?

- The first detail of the building is the foundation. First watch the video on basic
foundation principles.
- A stone foundation is the structural mass upon which your building rests.
- A foundation built entirely out of stone (either rough or quarried stone)

Pros and Cons

PROS
- the oldest, most durable, and very beautiful building material
- permanent
- Good for load-bearing foundations
- top does not have to be flat when using cob for walls
- high thermal mass (radiates stored heat)
- natural, non-toxic
- blends with the landscape
- waterproof, provides moisture break between the ground and the walls
CONS
- expensive
- heavy
- poor insulation

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Steps to Building a Stone Foundation

Site Preparation
o Set out materials / sort stones, etc.
o Clear a level pad for your building
o Mark out where foundation trenches go
Square foundation outlines with the Pythagorean theorem.
See the Squaring a Site lesson for details on how to do this.
Rubble Trench (drainage)
o Dig trenches
o Fill in trenches accordingly (Watch Rubble Trench Foundations video)
Batter Boards (optional, but recommended)
o Batter Boards are placed into the ground on each corner or end of your
foundation. You attach string lines spanning across from one batter
board to another.
These act as a template to build your stone to
Stone Laying
o The BULK of the project!
o The fun part! You get to see your stone foundation seemingly rise out
of the earth and take shape. Its very rewarding!
o Consists of carefully laying stones together to form a foundation. Its
like putting a puzzle together. A very heavy puzzle!
Mortaring (optional)
o You may choose to add mortar between your stones for some extra
binding.
o Or you can skip this if you want to build dry-stacked stone
Pointing (optional)
o You can also "point-up" your stone foundation by adding mortar
between the outside-facing joints (holes) between your stones. This is
mostly for aesthetic purposes.

What you can do now:

- Weigh the PROS and CONS of building a stone foundation
- Find sources for attaining stone
- Prepare your building site for stone laying
- Make batter boards

Copyright 2014 - This Cob House LLC - All Rights Reserved