Building On A Slope

FTLComm - Tisdale - June 8, 1999

As anyone will tell you Saskatchewan is flat, real flat and that is definitely true of Tisdale. However, there are always exceptions and there is a whole street along the Dog Hide Creek that have the view of the waterway and of the golf course to the South of it. One lot was left on the block and construction is now well underway developing a house on that lot.

A house on an uneven lot is usually thought of as a difficulty but in many ways it offers some interesting building features unavailable to the rest of us flatlanders.

All of the houses along this block have entrances ways into and out of their basements. Many have patio doors and glass which produces a whole added dimension to the house and the utilisation of all of its space.

Definitely managing water is a problem and as you can see on the right the extreme care is being given the installation of weeping tile that will protect the house from seepage even from a shower. The footings have been installed at this point and the crushed gravel is being filled in over the tile and around the footings.

This is an example of flatlander technology. The two men are smoothing the fill with long handled spades. If you happen to be about to do a task like this get the right tools. When moving gravel, which is heavy, always use a flat bladed short handled shovel. This will force you to use your legs and spare your back from moving the material about. With a flat bladed shovel you can slide the material after you have loaded the shovel using your foot rather then your back and arms.

Long handled spades are for digging. You shove the blade into the ground with your body's weight using your foot and then use the leverage of the long handle to lift the shovelful out of the hole.

Fortunately for these fellows most of the work was being done by power equipment.

A unique feature to this new home will be its insulated concrete basement. Using foam insulation for the concrete forms with a specially designed spacer this foam serves as the forms for the cement and is left afterward for insulation inside and out the new basement. The foam/clip method of cement forms is an interesting development and is used in conjunction with thick plastic for a vapour barrier. The insulation and clips are shown below.

This little power shovel is sold all over the world making excellent use of hydraulic technology. The RomRod Taskmaster was invented and developed in Yorkton Saskatchewan.

With this unit the operator stands at the back of the machine as you can see the operating position from the picture at left. Ideal for moving material around or with a fork attachment in a warehouse or where ever space is tight this quick and efficient unit gets the job done.


*FTLComm - Tisdale - June 8, 1999*
As anyone will tell you Saskatchewan is flat, real flat and that is definitely true of Tisdale. However, there are always exceptions and there is a whole street along the Dog Hide Creek that have the view of the waterway and of the golf course to the South of it. One lot was left on the block and construction is now well underway developing a house on that lot. A house on an uneven lot is usually thought of as a difficulty but in many ways it offers some interesting building features unavailable to the rest of us flatlanders.

All of the houses along this block have entrances ways into and out of their basements. Many have patio doors and glass which produces a whole added dimension to the house and the utilisation of all of its space. Definitely managing water is a problem and as you can see on the right the extreme care is being given the installation of weeping tile that will protect the house from seepage even from a shower. The footings have been installed at this point and the crushed gravel is being filled in over the tile and around the footings.

This is an example of flatlander technology. The two men are smoothing the fill with long handled spades. If you happen to be about to do a task like this get the right tools. When moving gravel, which is heavy, always use a flat bladed short handled shovel. This will force you to use your legs and spare your back from moving the material about. With a flat bladed shovel you can slide the material after you have loaded the shovel using your foot rather then your back and arms. Long handled spades are for digging. You shove the blade into the ground with your body's weight using your foot and then use the leverage of the long handle to lift the shovelful out of the hole. Fortunately for these fellows most of the work was being done by power equipment. A unique feature to this new home will be its insulated concrete basement. Using foam insulation for the concrete forms with a specially designed spacer this foam serves as the forms for the cement and is left afterward for insulation inside and out the new basement. The foam/clip method of cement forms is an interesting development and is used in conjunction with thick plastic for a vapour barrier. The insulation and clips are shown below.