Q&A: A Forum for Green Building Experts and Beginners

I previously had asked about the potential of constructing a rudimentary geothermal basement by purposefully NOT insulating the masonry walls of a basement. Martin pointed out that the ground temps in NY/NJ/CT in winter at the surface are freezing and not until something like 48 inches are they above freezing, say around 40 to 45 degrees? Thus making it clear the walls should be insulated. But what about the the floor slab? Assuming a depth of say 9 feet at the slab's underside, would this not be a constant 55 degrees or so? Thus be warming in winter and cooling in summer?

I am building a new house which will be clad in full-thickness natural stone veneer. A stoop slab just outside the front door will be poured on top of a cold room that's part of the foundation.

My concrete contractor, of course, wants to pour the slab right against the rim joist. That's not going to happen. But what SHOULD happen?

With the masonry veneer, the wall above includes a 1" air space--should I have the guy leave the 1" also between the slab and the rim? How would I ensure proper water drainage out of that space?

I am an architect in Atlanta, GA (climate zone 3) mostly designing modern/contemporary homes that typically have flat roofs. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information and opinions out there as to the best way to insulate these types of roofs. Typical construction would be 12" deep ceiling/roof I-joists or 2x4 open-web trusses with flat OSB decking above. The most common potential options (all unvented scenarios)are:

I'm currently in the final estimation phase of my upcoming new build and we're coming in a little tight - so every little bit needs to be justified.