Raised Up

Prompt

What is the lightest touch a new home can have on a site? How can we make a home more resilient?

Findings

The idea with this method is to disturb the land as little as possible. Piers can be set with hand-held tools or small machines with no excavation needed. Depending on the site, this can expedite the foundation phase to a matter of days, saving substantial time and resources. Because soils are left in place, the land can continue to drain and behave much in the same way as it had. This works well on sloping and remote sites. When a home is Raised Up, it stands above uncertain ground. We can overcome typical foundation issues of floodwater, pests, radon, soil moisture, and earth movement. The elevated floor allows us to access, inspect, and maintain the full envelope of a home for its lifespan. We can also exclusively build with wood- and fiber-based insulation materials that are only possible to use above grade.