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Drawing of A Crawl Space Foundation
If you plan on building a house or garage in Michigan you’ll need a foundation that protects your building from frost that occurs here during the winter. Most areas around the nation don’t require frost free foundations or crawl space foundations but build with what is called a slab on grade foundation. Besides the fact that it’s a requirement for Mid Michigan foundations a crawl space under your home is handy for several reasons, one of the main one being an area to install and maintain your plumbing and electrical system. It’s also a lot easier to do a remodel when you can access the foundation area of a house. Most foundations in the mid Michigan area are constructed with either cement blocks or poured concrete, though some people use treated wood as their choice for foundation material. Many older home have a stone foundations, we are also a company that repairs stone foundations here in the central Michigan area.
Crawl Space Foundations in Michigan
A crawl space foundation contractor in Michiganwill first install a footing, also called footer, which is 16 inches wide and 8″ thick around the perimeter of the house, garage or other structure that requires a crawl space foundation. Cement blocks, which are 8″ wide, are then layed accurately with the outside dimensions of the foundation correlating with the exact dimensions of you build. Most crawl space foundations are 5 or 6 courses of blocks high
Completed Crawl Space Foundation
with also measures around 48 inches depending on the number of courses. The depth of the bottom of footing in the mid Michigan area is 42″. Crawl space foundations are typically lined with 2″ Styrofoam as a frost barrier and for insulation. Vents are also installed to prevent dampness in your crawl space. The final step when we build a crawl space foundation is to install the sill plate which is a treated 2×8 that lays flat along the top of your foundation wall. The is the board that your floor joists will be fastened to.
Crawl Space Foundations for Modular Homes in Michigan
Crawl space foundations for modular homes in Michigan are constructed much the same way as they are with a stick built structure. Modular home foundation contractors will also be the ones who install the steel beams that extend across the crawl space. The construction of a modular home crawl space will usually take 2-5 days depending on the size of the foundation. Modular home foundation companies in mid Michigan will want a good copy of the foundation drawing for proper size in beam placement.
Thin Stone Veneer for Siding
Using thin stone veneer as a siding for a new home or even a remodel is possible as many of the natural thin stone veneers don’t require footings to secure them. Much like cultured stone, thin stone veneer’s can be applied by attaching a wire backing and scratch coat for bonding then simply sticking the stone to the wall with mortar. The joints are grouted as the last step leaving a unique stone look to your home or cottage.
Michigan Thin Stone Veneers
The advantage to using a thin stone veneer is that it’s a way to use real stone without needing a foundation, this save time and money. I think it’s an excellent alternative to cultured stone products because it looks much more durable, real, and has a classic stone look to it. I’ve been a stone and concrete mason in Michigan for over 15 years and I’ve watched this stone product become more and more popular. Real stone veneers used for siding a house are made by simply cutting cross sections of real field stones in thin layers. Using real stone for your veneer insures that when cracking or chipping occurs it won’t look unsightly. Cultured stone can look rather poor when it chips, and it will eventually.
Another Natural Stone Veneer
Laying thin stone veneers works much like cultured stone except the individual stones need to be supported during the application phase. If you mix the mortar right, cultured stone can be stuck right to the wall without any problem, real stone veneer weighs more and needs to be secured to the wall more often in my experience. I’ve seen polished thin stone veneer used here locally in my community and it looks great. It works good with vinyl siding meeting it without any sort of a capstone because of the slim profile of natural stone veneer. The stone is usually only an inch or so thick.
Outdoor Field Stone Fireplace
Field stone is probably one of my favorite masonry elements to work with because it offers a truly unique one of a kind look and it lasts forever, literally. I wanted to share some of the ways you can use real natural stone on your property and outdoor stone fireplaces is on of the best places to use it. It’s both beautiful and functional and I think it focuses attention on the quality of the time you spend outdoors. Cooking dinner on an outdoor field stone fireplace just adds to the already wonderful idea of preparing a good meal over a real fire. There are many different ways to make the area around the natural stone fireplace or bonfire pit but I recommend starting with the stone structure and making it the focal point of that area of your yard.
We also do real natural stone outdoor fire rings that extend above the ground a couple feet so they offer some safety if you have children. I’m currently working on a way to build these here at our farm and then simply install them on site, but for now we custom build them right at your site. If you are interested in getting an outdoor field stone fireplace built you can get a quote right now by visiting our “Get a Quote” page.
You may have seen a natural stone fireplaceincorporated into a stone grotto looking wall that typically follows a slow arch that forms a semi circle, this design is a great way to produce a warm area for socializing in the seasons that are not quite warm enough. These projects are also my favorite because they are fun and the design of structure is a blast. Many time we can use some stone you may have right on your property in use it in significant locations. Incorporating an outdoor grill into your stone structure is an option and some folks like to simply have a nook designated for a more modern propane grill, but you can do both. You can even
Natural Stone Outdoor Fireplace
make an outdoor stone oven and build that into the mix.
Outdoor Natural Stone Fireplaces and Landscaping Ideas
Outdoor stone structures, as I call them, aren’t buildings and they aren’t really landscape elements either. In some ways they are both. You can put a small roof over and area that is defined by natural stone and offers an outdoor stone fireplace but you don’t have too. Real field stone offers a unique setting in a variety of areas and I like them best when they are near water or built into a slope. A natural stone wall can easily be incorporated into any landscape ideas and you don’t need a large wall or a big area of stone to really set an area off.
