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Metal house, e-foil, radiant floor heat ????

RandyJ
RandyJ Member Posts: 10
in THE MAIN WALL
I could use some good advice/help with this project. My plan has been to build an "all metal" house on a concrete slab with radiant floor heat. The design is to use a post & beam structure, metal roof & siding with e-foil/radiant barrier, a.k.a. "double bubble". Here's my situation in question... I'm pouring 12" x 24" footings. On one side there will be piers which will be poured in 8" holes drilled thru the fill dirt to hard pan ground. Original design was to wrap entire slab and footings with vapor barrier plastic and 2" styrofoam insulation. This was to be one pour. It seems far too much to do at one time and I'm now thinking of just pouring the piers and footings then put down the vapor barrier & styrofoam, then pour the slab with the re-bar and radiant heat tubing in it. Problem that puzzels me... the posts (6" I-beams) will be anchored to 36" x 36" x 24" pods. If I pour as the new plan is then the slab & styrofoam will be on top of these "pods" of concrete which will obviously cause problems with anchoring and zillions of other problems... I'm looking for any advice, comments, suggestions, etc....anything will be of help... the TRUTH about the "double bubble" would be nice too!

Comments

  • Weezbo
    Weezbo Member Posts: 6,231
    it is difficult to manage the designe of the foundation,

    there are some very specific requirements for many aspects of type of construction you mention...in that you will find few "takers" without numbers of some sort...generally i like monolithic pours...Pins and rails tensioned ferroconcrete footing depth ground structure...a group of other things and every one of them a liability of sorts...

    probably you need to burn some daylight at the books...there are way too many variables....pan decking and spray foam might even be in the future if i am reading what you are saying correctly...

    maybe having a general contractor in your area run the job scheduling and material deliveries might be your best bet.

    bag the idea of air bubble wrap or tinfoil or whatever it is for now...focus more on slightly more conventional practices and products for your area.

    insist on insulation, sealed vapor barrier, controled ventilation ....the rest of this stuff is too much for my tired brain to think at the momment...
  • RandyJ
    RandyJ Member Posts: 10
    contractor

    Thanks but a contractor is out of the question. I'm on a shoestring budget after a failed business of 15 years...got into plumbing and trying to get that going while living like trailer trash and building a decent home out back. The metal structure seems to be the best all around and I'm totally sold on it. We're now living on a lake with lots of high dollar houses going up. So, I really want to learn alot about how to build this just right so maybe I can get into the business of building more like it.
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