LOG HYBRID CUSTOM HOME
Because this custom log-hybrid home was to be built on a hill in Portola Valley, CA, seismic activity and the presence of an underground river on the property, meant excessive expansion and contraction of the soil. J. Nord Wolfe handled it all.
FOUNDATION – NEW CONSTRUCTION LOG-HYBRID CUSTOM HOME
A good drought coupled with El Nino rains and the earth beneath your home will swell then dry-out like a sponge in the California sun. Given the constraints, a pier and grade-beam foundation is a great solution when building a home on land with movement and expansion/contraction issues. It may surprise you to see that when using this type of foundation, dirt does not actually support the grade beam. It is a fascinating example of structural engineering.
The foundation itself consists of 73 peers. Each one is 16 inches diameter and is anchored 18 feet into the soil and rock below. The 10-foot retaining wall backs a daylight basement with two full sides open to the light. Water-proofing and a French drain, running out to a containment well equipped with an automatic sump pump, is all designed to carry overflow to the storm drain and make certain things remain dry.
See the framing go up on this log-hybrid home.
