by Shelley Svedahl At home in Saskatchewan the construction of a new house begins with excavation. Step one: dig a big hole. The next steps are setting the forms and pouring the basement. The solid concrete basement walls are lined with 2 x 6’s for energy-efficient housing.
Here in Italia the foundation is constructed by piling building blocks one-on-top of another. Void spaces are filled with concrete. The process is extremely labor-intensive and involves mixing the cement on site and using a trowel to scrape the cement where it is needed. During this process, the structure is supported by a series of metal posts.
One of the first questions a buyer would ask when considering the purchase of an older home in Saskatchewan is “Is the foundation concrete or cinder block?” Older homes were built with cinder-block foundations, but that was a long time ago. In today’s market those homes are considered a poor investment because of the potential for movement or shifting with the clay-based soil and freezing and thawing weather conditions.
The soil must be significantly different here in Italia. Many of these homes date back several centuries so obviously this method of construction is appropriate to this region.
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