Can you replace an old slab foundation with an air heated slab?
Is it possible to retrofit an existing slab built in the 70's; to a modern ecoHome standard? I imagine the house would have to be raised (jacked up) and possibly install the new slab on top of the old if it's in good enough condition? Any ideas on the best way to proceed if I was to go that route? I've seen stories at www.jlconline.com where contractors have raised houses a full story in flood prone areas of Texas after hurricane Harvey. I don't think I would have to go that high though. Anyinsight is appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
It’s possible someone may disagree with me, and I hope so because I’d love to hear a solution to this, but I’m going to give you a ‘hard no’. There is really no feasible way to raise up a slab on grade house and pour a new slab under it, unless of course I’m missing something here. The raft slab insulated slab on grade kit with the air heated radiant floors is intended for new home construction, though you could raise a house and build a basement with one.
So – on the off chance you have a crawlspace and called it a slabby accident then yes, you could.
It’s one thing to raise an existing house that has floor joists and build a new foundation, but with a slab you’ve almost certainly got interior division walls as well as kitchens and bathrooms resting right on the concrete that would be virtually impossible to raise up.
If your concern is that your slab floor is not insulated and you want to fix that and perhaps install radiant floor heating, I’d be more inclined to do that on top of the existing floor. That of course would depend on having enough head room that you could spare a good 6 inches. And don’t get me wrong, even that isn’t an easy undertaking, and it does create a situation where doors would need to be adjusted, or simply cut off on the bottom, in which case your door knobs would be at a weird height and your forehead may have cuts and bruises from banging it.
If that solution seems even remotely viable then check out this page on how to insulate a basement floor, it may help. But, did I even understand your question properly? And what climate zone are you living in? With a few more details we may be able to help you more.