Foundation Skirting
Contents
Working Doc
Installation Procedure
- Grade with MicroTrac - scrape hardened ground - then till until soft and grade of insulation can be finished easily by raking
- To lay insulation everywhere - set up green Laser Level. Laser works best at night.
- Mark laser level every 4 feet with pencil (for daytime viewing).
- To push up any cement board that dropped - lift, moving the vinyl flashing out of way - and wedget dirt under lower edge by whacking with a hammer. Dirt must be hard, not sandy or too wet.
- Mark laser level 2" above the bottom of the rigid insulation. This allows laser to be visible easily above soil - and allows it to be visible even after the insulation is installed.
- You can see sparkles of laser on the ground - this helps you see exactly where you need to rake.
- Eventual grade is 6" over 10 feet - so it's a considerable slope.
- Start insulation at a corner, even with edge so you don't create a gap at corner.
- Rake then lay insulation - check with 2' level. You can see readily whether insulation slopes away from house. If slope is inadequate, lift insulation and rake under the insulation.
- When laying insulation down one by one - push insulation down against house - not sideways to house - as the latter tends to trap soil and not allow you to get insulation all the way to the house. Use the factory edge of insulation against the house, not the cut edge - so that no gaps exist between insulation and house.
- If there are any gaps at corners, close them with a thinner strip of insulation.
- Use a shovel to work any high spots or to get soil away from house.
- Start laying insulation at corner away from laser - so that insulation laid does not block the laser
- Use pick end of hammer or a pick to break any high spots in soil, or go back over with tiller.
- In Seed Eco-Home 2 on Dec 2021 - insulation was 10" below top of foundation. This means top of insulation is 8" below, 4" of soil cover makes it 4" of foundation exposure above gravel, see [1]
Checklist
- Factory edge of insulation is against house
- Potential gaps at edges were buttoned with more insulation
- Insulation slopes away from house
- 6" over 10 feet results at end
- Poly laid over insulation
- Accuracy of insulation - +/- 1/2" in height
Materials
Design Issues
The detail where house siding meets the ground is important:
- Splashing of rain - if there is exposed dirt - house will get splashed and dirty, or continued exposure to water at this detail will tend to rot the house if water-sensitive materials such as wood are used. Aesthetically - dirty collar around the bottom of a house is not aesthetic.
- Moisture prevention - do not create a cavity under the siding that traps humidity. See comment 1 at [5]
Products
Mobile Homes
Regular Homes
- Foundation Panel - insulated with finish look - [10]
