History

In the 1960’s, the idea of foundations made of wood for light frame buildings seemed a bit farfetched. We were not used to thinking of wood products exposed to the weather as having a useful enough service life to be used as foundation material where a long life expectancy is prerequisite. However, there are many examples of wood all around us that are used for structural purposes that have lasted over 100 years. Wood piles have been used for over a century to support skyscrapers and bridges, marine pilings for piers and docks, railroad ties and bridge timbers; and in colonial times virgin timbers were used as the foundations for homes, churches and other structures. The use of wood for wood foundations is a good proven idea whose time has come. In 1937 a research study was begun, initiated by the Forest Products Laboratory, to explore the utility of a wood foundation for a house. A creosote-treated timber foundation was built in Madison, Wisconsin. (Creosote in not an acceptable preservative for residential uses today, but back then, that was the most used preservative with an excellent track record). This building has given good service to date and is still being used as an office structure. Approximately 15 years after it was built it was moved, foundation and all, to its present site. The move presented an excellent opportunity to observe the condition of the treated wood foundation after a period of time in actual use. No degrading because of decay or insect attack of the treated wood was noted. The foundation performed as expected and still is. In Canada in 1961, the National Home Builders Association, in cooperation with the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, built a crawl space type wood foundation, designated the Mark III; and in 1964 built a full basement wood foundation, designated the Mark IV. Both houses were built at the R.C.A.F. Station, Rockcliffe, Ottawa, Ontario. Both wood foundation walls were built with 2 x 4 studs with an outside skin of 陆” T&G plywood. The wood in the Mark III foundation was pressure treated with 8 lbs. / cu. ft. with creosote, and the Mark IV with pentachlorophenol. The Mark III walls are on a footing of light concrete; and the Mark IV walls rest on a 2 x 8 footing which in turn rests directly of the bearing soil. The Mark IV has an untreated wood floor made of 2 x 8 floor joists nailed to studs and resting on a center bearing pony wall. These foundations are performing well and became the basis for the Permanent Wood Foundation System as we know it today. In 1965 the American Wood Preservers Institute, the National Forest Products Association (now the American Forest & Paper Association), and the Marketing and Economic Division of the United States Forest Service approached the National Association of Home Builders Research Foundation to do a feasibility study on the wood foundation concept. After extensive research and development, the All Weather Wood Foundation emerged. It is now known under a new name: The Permanent Wood Foundation System. Since 1969 specially treated wood (lumber and plywood) has been used commercially in the United States for wood foundations in light frame buildings such as homes, office buildings, churches, shopping centers, apartment buildings, and condominiums. That year, three houses were built in Lexington Park, Maryland by builder Jack Clifford. The foundation components were pre-manufactured by Kingsbury Homes, Division of Boise-Cascade. A block foundation was also constructed on a nearby site, using the same tradesmen, for comparison purposes. The idea was that if a true cost comparison was to made, the same tradesmen would have to be used. At the outset, one of the many advantages of the PWFS became apparent. The block foundation had been scheduled to be built first, but in March 1969 the site was too wet and muddy. Under these conditions it was easier to move lumber and plywood than to move blocks and concrete, so the PWF’s were built first. It was also learned that rain did not stop work on the PWF’s, but did cause some delays in completing the block foundation. In the same year Hurricane Camille drenched the area with 12″ of rain in 24 hours. All three PWF’s remained dry while the block basement and many other conventional basements in the area leaked or were flooded. The National Association of Home Builders Research Foundation continues to monitor these original PWF’s houses for horizontal and vertical movement, leakage and humidity levels, and any evidence of decay or insect attack. To date no problems have been found in these original wood foundations. In 1971 the first PWF was built in Ohio for the Columbus Parade of Homes at Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The house was a tri-level and was built by Ernest G. Fritschie Company. At the same time Fritschie built a conventional house with a block foundation. It began 3 陆 days before the PWF, but both foundations were completed the same afternoon. If both had started at the same time, by the time the block foundation had been completed, the PWF house could have been completely framed. In 1973 the first house in Michigan was built with a PWF in Leroy Township, Calhoun County by Brooks Realty. This was a ranch “double-wide” pre-manufactured home which was craned onto the PWF. This house was the only one in the subdivision with a full basement. It was located between a lake and a swamp with a very high water table. It had a 7′ backfill. This home has been occupied since 1973 and has never had moisture problems even though it was originally built about 18″ below the water table. The lower level basement area is used as a dry comfortable living space. In this case it doubled the livable portion of the home without adding to its cost. With its adopted aggregate drainage system, high water tables and other horrible site conditions need not be a deterrent to the successful installation of a PWF. 1980 Roscoe Clark of PWF, Inc. Flint, MI started designing foundations for builders and home owners for a low cost fee. This custom design service made the wood foundation easy to install.. Now you can have your next wood foundation custom designed and get training on how to install it. (PWF, Inc. can be contacted for more design information.)See www pwfs com Hundreds of thousands of wood foundations have been built in The United States, and when Canada is included, they number more than a million. Advantages - The advantages of the PWF are numerous. Some of them are listed as follows: A. Dry & Comfortable - PWF’s create a completely dry comfortable living space below finished grade with no musty odors or smells. The basement is just like any room in the home above grade. B. More Area in Basement - The walls are generally thinner with existing stud spaces ready for insulation, and with no need to add furring and losing area in the basement. Sometimes the area saved, if it could be concentrated in one spot would equal the size of a bathroom or even an extra small bedroom. C. Warmer & More Energy Efficient - Because of the existing stud spaces for insulation and because wood itself adds insulation value, the PWF saves heat loss and conserves energy, lowering heating and cooling costs. By contrast conventional foundations are good conductors of heat. D. Strength & Stability - It is a common misconception that the kind of material determines the strength of the structure. Strength is determined by engineering and PWF’s are engineered, and are as strong as any other material used for foundations. Wood foundations are engineered to as strong are they need to be. From a stability standpoint they are superior. Each wall of a PWF is like a truss (a stressed skin a plywood on a series of studs and plates). Unforecast weak spots in the bearing soil are simply bridged with no settling or cracking. Concrete does not bridge weak spots well.

This can be a very cheap way of buying houses in Bulgaria, the great thing is that you dont need to worry too much about actually seeing the house. If youve seen one Bulgarian house youve seen them all! It really doesnt matter what house you buy if youre doing this as an investment… BUT be very careful if youre looking for a holiday home. Houses in Bulgaria often do not have the same standards as houses in England, for example they may have wooden fire heating and that can be a lot of work to chop the wood etc. Also remember that these houses have usually got very big gardens so these will of course need maintanance unless you want your garden turning into a jungle! Another thing I’ve noticed is that some auctions are only for payind a deposit on the final price, so be careful of this and read all the info. I prefer to only bid on auctions where the auction is for buying the house outright and the end price is the actual price. In short my advice is to think carefully if youre buying a holiday home, but for investment then you really cant go wrong, these houses are finishing between 3,000 to 5,000 and theres no way that they wont be more in the future, Bulgaria has a lot going for it, EU etc.

I have noticed several properties for sale on Ebay that could be misleading with their information. I am a Realtor in Arkansas and before you buy any property, I would suggest contacting a Realtor that is familiar with the area. I understand many people want to save a few dollars by not using a Realtor, but doing so you take on many risk. Realtors are there to make sure that what you are buying is what you are paying for.

Ask a Realtor for a Free Market Analysis for the property in which you are trying to purchase.

The buyer should consider the following:

(1) Exactly what property is included in the sale? Lighting fixtures, drapes or blinds, refrigerators, stoves, washing machines and dryers are often problem areas.

(2) Is the neighborhood quiet, friendly? Are the homes well kept?

(3) Are there any development plans that will affect the property?

(4) The inspection report - are there any substantial problems with the house?

(5) Real estate taxes - what are the current property taxes, and what impact will your purchase have on the taxes?

(6) What is the crime rate for that area?

The Top 10 Questions to ask Real Estate Agents

When looking for a Real Estate Agent, never settle on the first one that comes along.

Try to interview 3 or more Agents before making a decision on which Real Estate Agent to sign with.

To make the decision-making process easier, ask potential Agents these 10 questions:

(1) What professional courses and designations have you completed?

(2) Do you sell homes full time?

(3) How long have you been selling homes in this area?

(4) How many listings do you have now?

(5) What sales commission do you suggest?

(6) What is your minimum listing term?

(7) What price will you get for it in today’s market, if I list my home with you?

(8) What is your written marketing plan for my home?

(9) Do you recommend “staging” my home?

(10) What are the names, addresses and phone numbers of your five most recent home sellers?

These 10 questions will guide you towards the right Real Estate Agent for you.

When purchasing or selling real estate on or anywhere, one must perform all due diligence prior to making an offer or buying and even selling the property. Such investigative performance should most certainly include asking all pertinent questions and researching the property and or buyer/seller thoroughly.

There are many research tools and data banks that one can use. I personally like using USGS for purposes of studying the topography of the area and the property in question. I also use Google Earth to study many other features about the area where the property is located. In addition, Copernic, a free multi-search engine, can help to provide information and answer many questions about an area as well. Finally, a simple call to the Clerk’s Office in the area where the property is located can help to provide additional information about the property.

Researching the property and or buyer/seller before one buys or sells is important. Failure to do so can lead to problems. The bottom line is, if one fails to do their home work, they should not whine later on and try to make excuses for their own mistakes and blame others.

I had an occasion to experience such whining on the part of a person who claimed to be a minister. However, the tactics used by this person fall short of the behavior of any real minister I have known. The buyer failed to say in his review that he backed out of the agreement to purchase only to change his mind several days later. In addition, the purchaser failed to say that he mailed to me an unsigned personal check for the initial deposit. Moreover, the purchaser failed to say that he was informed about the right-of-way that cuts across a small corner of another’s property. No right of way went through the front yard of another’s property as the purchaser alleged in his Review/Guide!

The fact is that the purchaser has lied and has, with malice, attempted to smear my good name and reputation. Furthermore, this practice by this person seems to be a pattern and checking his feedback will help shed light on this fact! Moreover, I have not changed my ID since I became an Ebay user as has been the case with Olfartzpartz!

This man continues to deceive others by inserting a photo of a woman on his listings! He wants others to believe that he is a she!

WHY!!??

I thought ministers were commissioned to tell the truth and not try to lay blame on others! Unfortunately, this purchaser falls way short of the commission. Perhaps I have failed to research the purchaser in this particular case prior to his purchase. Next time, I will perform all due diligence before I sell to an individual especially one who claims to be a minister of God!

Due diligence is important in all decision-making in life including buying real estate or even becoming a minister! Maybe that is why the minister is selling car parts instead of preaching the word of God!!

Did he fail to perform due diligence in deciding to become a minister? In any event, Fred Bonnett will receive my prayers regardless of his lack of honesty in his dealings with me!

Not everyone knows about the subject . Florida building code will be outdated soon . ( 100 mph inland standard ) International building code is130mph . The new standard Miami-Dade code is 150 mph wind and also a 2×4 impact test . The only products to buy are this standard . Overlap on basic panel types Aluminum or clear Protexan corregated panels is 3″ on all sides . Current bolt width of panels is 12″ . Fixed stud mounting gives you no option of interchanging different width panels . I recommend fixed ” H ” tracks on top ( slip fit ) and fixed ” F” tracks on bottom tracks ( sliding removable bolts ) . You may mount your panels horizontal to save material with fixed studs but sidewalk bolts offer fixed location and low profile heads off season . Top tracks can be calked and painted color of building . Lower tracks sit just underneath the window sill . Both are available in flush , 1″ and 2″ buildout . Self installation is not difficult through cement block , although solid sills are hard to drill and bolt . Ex. ( patio door ). Install for the do it your selfer saves 25% . I sell these products in my store Hurricane Home Protection Home-Hurricane-Protection Everything is 150 mph rating .Full documentation is available for permiting Thanks for reading -Dave.