Basement - Aidomes.com

Basement
American Ingenuity can design custom or modified basement plans for a
reasonable fee. The Ai prefabricated panelized home kit can be built
on a basement.
34' dome on full basement utilizing 34' Zeta 21 plan.
(Click dots to change picture or use left and right arrows in
picture)
To view floor plans by dome size, some of which have a
basement designed, click on Stock Plans. If you do not see a
stock plan to fit your lifestyle, Ai can modify or customize a
plan based on your notes or sketches.
Please email your
sketch or notes by clicking on Contact Us. The Plans
Coordinator will review your sketches and contact you to
clarify your needs and email a Plans Quote.
During the
basement plans design, Ai will email a basement
questionnaire. When you want Ai to start the design of your
plans, pay in full for your plans and agree to the Plans
Quote.
Your building department will have recommendations whether
your property should have a soil report completed or not. If
the soil contents or load bearing pressure is debatable, hire
a Geotechnical Company to complete a soil report with
recommendations. Soil reports can cost from $300 up.
To complete the basement designs, American Ingenuity hires a
local engineer.
If your soil is clay he requires a soil
report and the soils engineer’s recommendations. The engineer
calculates the load of the dome and its interior floors to
determine joist size and spacing and wall design. Ai then
incorporates his designs into your building plans.
Please
call our office at 321-639-8777 for engineer pricing.
Ai can provide plans for most types of basement wall systems
from poured on site concrete walls or concrete block walls or
insulated concrete forms (ICF) or precast basement wall
panels.
Soil, soil, soil.
The dome’s standard footing size is 20″
tall by 16″ wide with slab 4″. Foundation should be built on
undisturbed native soil or fill – with soil compacted to 98%
density for a minimum of 2,000 psf of bearing pressure. If
your bearing capacity is less, then the engineer can increase
your footer size and slab thickness. For example the soil for
a dome being built in California was 1,500 psf. Its footer was
increased to 20″x20″ and slab was increased to 6″. In some
instances the footer may need to be an augured footing three
feet down to hit cap rock. In other instances your footings
may need to rest on wood pilings driven 40’ into the ground in
order to get to solid soil. Ai does not determine the type
foundation you need for your dome.
You tell us what type
footing and basement you desire based on your soil report.
Generally a foundation cannot be built on clay and basement
walls cannot be back filled with clay.
Since we are a manufacturer of dome housing kits, we do not
manufacture or build basement walls, please contact your local
basement subcontractors for basement construction costs. .
Full basements are the same size and shape as the dome first
floor. The multiple sided foundation for the Ai dome can cost
15% to 25% more than a rectangle basement. If you mark the
corners of the foundation itself this removes the
responsibility from the contractor.
The below ground basement can have the slab poured first with
the exterior basement walls built on top of the slab or the
footings can be poured separate with the exterior basement
wall built on top of the footings and then the slab poured
inside the basement wall. Basement walls are usually 8″ thick
when made of poured concrete but will likely increase
depending on the height of the basement wall and the height of
the back fill.
The plans show
rebars coming out of the basement walls to
connect into the seams between the dome prefab riser panels
and into the front and back of each entryway base panel and
each first floor door dormer base panel, etc. Vertical rebars
come out of the footings thru the buttress walls into the dome
panels. Buttress walls support the entryway and first floor
door dormer panels. The horizontal rebars in the buttress
walls connect the buttress wall to the basement walls.
After
the basement is poured while the concrete is still malleable,
insert in the top of the basement walls per the foundation
plan the tie down hook rebars that go into the horizontal
riser seams.
When the dome is built on a basement, the first floor framing
of the dome is typically built with wood 2×10’s which are hung
on the inside of the concrete basement walls.
Should I build a second dome for a garage or build a basement
under the dome to use for my garage? The main determining
factor on which kind of garage is built is whether your land
is flat or sloped and your budget.
If your land is flat, we recommend a dome garage or
conventional garage because building a dome on an above ground
basement causes the access of the dome via basement stairs or
exterior stairs. Ai can design a lift if sufficient room in
the basement or a rail chair on the stairs to access the dome
from the basement.
If your land is sloped and the dome is built on a basement,
parts of the first floor of the dome can be accessed at ground
level or a few steps from ground level. Then building your
dome on a basement is the better choice. When this is done,
some parts of the basement will be open so cars can be driven
into the basement. Other parts will be back filled with dirt
so you can walk out the first floor of the dome to access your
land.
For a complete summary of all types of foundations that can be
used with the American Ingenuity Domes, click on Foundation
Summary.
Ai DOMES BUILT ON BASEMENTS
8″ thick solid
concrete basement
walls for 34′ Dome
34′ Dome Home on
poured concrete
basement walls
Back view of the
above 34′ dome;
this side of the
basement is bermed
with dirt and
French drain
installed
Front view of the
same dome with
basement entrance.
Basement under 45′
Dome House
34′ Dome Home on
basement
Photo looking down
into basement from
second floor of 45′
Dome
Q: Does American Ingenuity modify or design custom basement
plans?
A: Yes, Ai can design custom or modified basement plans for a
reasonable cost. Fax or email your sketch to us and we will
call back with questions and complete a Plans Quote with fees
for Ai to design your dome building plans and basement
building plans.
Q: Can Ai design basement plans using concrete block, poured
walls or insulated concrete forms?
A: Yes, we can provide plans for most types of basement wall
systems utilizing poured on site concrete or blocks or
insulated concrete forms or precast basement wall panels.
Q: What materials can be used to build the basement walls?
A: A company named Superior Walls supplies precast insulated
concrete wall panels. Their number is 800-452-9255 or go to
their web site www.superiorwalls.com
The following came directly from their site: The Superior
Walls system consists of wall panels built with steelreinforced concrete studs, 1″ rigid Dow® insulation, a
reinforced top and bottom bond (footer) beams, along with a
concrete facing approximately 2″ thick. The bond beams and
concrete facing are cast in one continuous pour. Studs are
connected by encapsulating vertical rebars and galvanized
hooks and pins which protrude from the top, bottom, and back
of each stud. Pressure-treated furring strips are pre-attached
to the inner face of each stud. This provides the base for the
owner/builder to finish the basement without having to add any
additional studding. Holes are cast into each stud to
accommodate wiring and small-diameter plumbing. The top bond
beam is perforated to allow for bolting of the pressuretreated sill plates.
INSTALLATION
– The SUPERIOR WALLS System:
The panels are set on
a bed of compacted stone which serves as a bearing layer as
well as a drainage control system under the foundation. Once
in place, the panels are bolted together at the top and bottom
and sealed with a gun-applied adhesive-sealant. The
owner/builder or builder then pours the floor slab inside the
wall system.
Foam Blocks filled with Concrete are referred to as ICF for
Insulated Concrete Forms. These blocks are easy to use and
provide insulation. Their high cost is offset by labor savings
in the assembly. Some of the many manufacturers are listed
below. Call and ask them for the nearest supplier to you. One
of the engineers utilized by Ai to engineer seal its building
plans, prefers ARXX ICF wall to building a basement wall with
concrete blocks. The ARXX ICF panel is 16″ by 4′ long which
makes for quicker basement wall construction.
Reward Wall System, 800-468-6344, www.rewardwalls.com
Poly Steel, Albuquerque NM, 800-977-3676, www.polysteel.com
Insul Deck, Florence KY, 800-475-6720, www.insul-deck.org
Arxx, Alexandria Bay NY, 315-482-5253, www.arxx.net
Q: How is the below ground basement built and how is the dome
attached to the basement walls?
A: The below ground basement can have the slab poured first
with the exterior basement walls built on top of the slab or
the footings can be poured separate with the exterior basement
wall built on top of the footings and then the slab poured
inside the basement wall. Basement walls are usually 8″ thick
when made of poured concrete but will likely increase
depending on the height of the basement wall and the height of
the backfill.
Ai has basement plans available that explain how the dome is
attached to the basement, etc. for example rebars need to come
out of the basement wall to connect into the seams between the
dome riser panels and into the front and back of each entryway
base panel and each first floor door dormer base panel.
Vertical rebars come out of the footings thru the buttress
walls into the dome panels. Buttress walls support the
entryway and first floor door dormers. The horizontal rebars
in the buttress walls connect the buttress wall to the
basement walls.
After the basement is poured while the
concrete is still malleable, insert in the top of the basement
walls per the foundation plan the tie down hook rebars that go
into the bottom horizontal riser seams.
When the dome is built on a basement, the first floor framing
of the dome is typically built with wood 2×10’s, hung on the
side of the basement walls and are supported by any interior
basement walls or designed posts. The riser panels rests on
the basement wall.
When the riser panels bottom seam is
concreted, the concrete continues down the side of the
basement wall six inches.
Q: How thick
A: Basement
concrete but
the basement
are the basement walls?
walls are usually 8″ thick when made of poured
will likely increase depending on the height of
wall and the height of the back fill.
Q: If I build my dome on a basement, will I need to install a
French drain?
A: Yes. Included in the basement building plans will be a
French drain sheet. The steps to install the French drain are:
1.
Cover any part of the basement wall that will be in touch with soil with a
tar emulsion (designed for this purpose). This waterproof coat should extend
down to (and if possible, under) the polyethylene vapor barrier.
2.
If you wish, you may add additional waterproofing. Apply roofing felt over
the tar emulsion, overlapping the edges 6” and sealing the felt with more
tar. Place the roofing paper over the outside of the vapor barrier to shed
water. Then, give the whole wall one more coat of tar. This extra investment
will provide a superior measure of protection against moisture. Please,
don’t cut corners.
3.
Place a perforated drainpipe (at least 3” in diameter to 4” in diameter. For
long lengths), holes down, into the gravel bed. The pipe should be below the
floor level and drop 1” for every 8’ of length. This discharges water into
an area lower than the dome itself and allows quick drainage away from the
building. Lay pipe in the gravel bed and cover gravel with two layers of
roofing felt to prevent dirt from penetrating into the gravel.
4.
Backfill the entire area.