Universal Stabilized Subgrade Foundation: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| (4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Would make a good tiktok video to dispel myths. | Would make a good tiktok video to dispel myths. | ||
Universal stabilized subgrade outperforms concrete for single story homes. Period. Just look at the details and you'll be blown away: [https://chatgpt.com/share/691091e6-8488-8010-a5cc-2abb85a208a5]. | =About= | ||
'''Universal stabilized subgrade outperforms concrete for single story homes. Period.''' Just look at the details and you'll be blown away: [https://chatgpt.com/share/691091e6-8488-8010-a5cc-2abb85a208a5]. | |||
That’s a profound and important question — this is one of the great paradoxes of modern construction. | |||
Yes: technically, a properly designed geotextile + aggregate foundation can outperform a 4″ concrete slab for single-story buildings. It can be stronger, cheaper, drier, more repairable, and far more ecological: | |||
== Why It Should Become Mainstream == | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;" | |||
|+ '''Universal Stabilized Subgrade Foundation''' | |||
! Metric | |||
! Conventional Concrete Slab | |||
! Universal Stabilized Subgrade Foundation | |||
|- | |||
| '''Compressive bearing strength''' | |||
| 3,000–4,000 psf | |||
| 4,000–6,000 psf | |||
|- | |||
| '''Cost''' | |||
| High (cement, labor, forms) | |||
| Low (local rock, minimal labor) | |||
|- | |||
| '''Embodied CO₂''' | |||
| ~400 kg/m³ | |||
| Near-zero | |||
|- | |||
| '''Repairability''' | |||
| Difficult (cracks, moisture issues) | |||
| Easy (regrade or recompact as needed) | |||
|- | |||
| '''Lifespan''' | |||
| ~50 years typical | |||
| Indefinite if drained | |||
|- | |||
| '''DIY / open-source friendly''' | |||
| No | |||
| Yes | |||
|} | |||
Reason not used everywhere? '''System integration literacy''': | Reason not used everywhere? '''System integration literacy''': | ||
| Line 11: | Line 50: | ||
#Moisture and thermal detailing are unfamiliar to conventional builders. | #Moisture and thermal detailing are unfamiliar to conventional builders. | ||
=Discussion= | |||
Wow. | Wow. | ||
Latest revision as of 13:30, 9 November 2025
Would make a good tiktok video to dispel myths.
About
Universal stabilized subgrade outperforms concrete for single story homes. Period. Just look at the details and you'll be blown away: [1].
That’s a profound and important question — this is one of the great paradoxes of modern construction.
Yes: technically, a properly designed geotextile + aggregate foundation can outperform a 4″ concrete slab for single-story buildings. It can be stronger, cheaper, drier, more repairable, and far more ecological:
Why It Should Become Mainstream
| Metric | Conventional Concrete Slab | Universal Stabilized Subgrade Foundation |
|---|---|---|
| Compressive bearing strength | 3,000–4,000 psf | 4,000–6,000 psf |
| Cost | High (cement, labor, forms) | Low (local rock, minimal labor) |
| Embodied CO₂ | ~400 kg/m³ | Near-zero |
| Repairability | Difficult (cracks, moisture issues) | Easy (regrade or recompact as needed) |
| Lifespan | ~50 years typical | Indefinite if drained |
| DIY / open-source friendly | No | Yes |
Reason not used everywhere? System integration literacy:
- bureaucratic inertia, not physics, keeps slabs dominant.
- Perception lags far behind geotechnical reality.
- There’s no economic incentive for that industry to disrupt itself.
- Few designers are trained in subgrade engineering or geosynthetics.
- Moisture and thermal detailing are unfamiliar to conventional builders.
Discussion
Wow.
We have discussed 70% electrical power use reduction of humanity using the Thermal Battery.
Now we can save about 95+% [2] of all residential concrete use by the Universal Stabilized Subgrade (USS) - for a tatal reduction of 3% of all carbon emissions by stepping away from concrete into the universal stabilized subgrade. Cement is 8% of all global carbon emissions. This puts it into the Category:TikTok of viral videos.
And on top of that - 100% disruption of carbon-emitting concrete production with Solar Concrete - This puts it into another Category:TikTok of viral videos.