Material mix without basement, plinth, moisture-resistant fabric insulation

Hello!

I am planning a timber frame house (without a basement) as an extension to an existing building. To avoid steps at the transition to the existing structure, I have to build at the same level as the existing building. That means the top edge of the floor slab of the new building is exactly at ground level! According to the structural engineer and carpenter, however, the timber frame should not 'stand in the dirt.' That means it must have a certain distance from the top edge of the soil (I think this is even required - 15 or 30 cm).

Since the slab is practically at zero, I could now build a massive plinth on which the timber frame is then placed. That means I build up one more row of bricks on the outer edge (where the exterior walls are) beforehand so that the timber frame has the desired distance (15 or 30 cm?). So, basically like this:


Questions: Is this how it is usually done, or do I have other options here (e.g., sealing the timber frame and 'placing it in the dirt')? If the massive plinth is an option, what material is it built with? In the end, I have to get the same wall thickness (about 30 cm). And how does such a 'material mix' behave regarding the U-value (which is certainly different) and moisture?

Thanks!

Best regards, Mike

...I am planning a timber frame house (without a basement) as an extension to an existing building.

If you are the planner, you should also master the most trivial things!

Best regards

If you are the planner, you should be able to handle even the most trivial things!

v.g.

No... I am planning to build something like this. So I am the client, not the planner (architect/structural engineer).
The suggestion to make such a base came from the structural engineer (who is currently on vacation). I am only interested in how this is done in practice or if there can be problems here (moisture, thermal bridges, etc.) and of course if there are alternatives (after all, it costs extra).

Thanks!

Best regards, Mike

Hi,

why should there be something in the "Dreck"? Aren't you getting a facade?

Regards

Of course, I will get a facade. However, the statement from the structural engineer was that the timber frame must have a minimum distance (I don’t remember whether 15 or 30 cm) from the ground. Normally, this is automatically achieved if the top edge of the slab is above the ground (the slab basically rests on the ground and so I have 1-2 steps to enter the house). But in my case, since I have to 'lower' the slab (i.e. top edge of slab = top edge of ground), I cannot maintain this minimum distance. Thus, the timber frame basically sits 'in the dirt' and can apparently absorb moisture due to standing water or snow in winter, etc. (which makes sense to me).

To my understanding, I have 2 options:

Either the timber frame must be waterproof sealed in the lower area (which has to be done anyway in the area of the terrace and front door) and/or one starts with the moisture-sensitive timber frame higher up – placing it on a moisture-resistant 'base' (see sketch above).

As described, it is a mystery to me how the base must be made to avoid further errors here (which stone, different materials, possibly different insulation of the base, possibly different wall thickness, U-value, etc.).

Here I would be interested in how this is done in practice, or if there are alternatives to the base?

Hopefully, I have made myself clearer now!?

Thanks already!

Best regards, Mike

In any case, I would set the stand in a hole with concrete! You can protect the part that is in the concrete with simple foil. Overall, it is about protecting the wood from rotting.