A Home Addition, Footings To Trusses

Roof trusses set on a home addition by Valhalla Construction

An addition is judged on whether it looks like it was always there, and that verdict is decided long before anyone picks a paint colour. This one is documented through the structural work: footings below frost line, damp-proofed foundation walls, floor system, framed and sheathed walls, and trusses tied into the existing roofline.

What the job included

Excavation and footings poured below frost line
Foundation walls formed and damp-proofed
Floor system framed and sheathed
Exterior walls framed with insulated sheathing
Roof trusses set and tied into the existing roofline
Window openings framed and slab poured

This was a home additions project. If you are planning something similar, that page covers how we approach the work and what to expect.

How it came together

Footings and foundation

Footings poured below frost line on a compacted gravel base, then foundation walls formed, poured and damp-proofed. In New Brunswick, frost depth is not a formality — an addition on shallow footings will move, and everything above it moves with it.

Poured concrete footings in trench for a home addition foundation

Completed and damp-proofed foundation wall with sill plate for a home addition

Floor system

Joists set and subfloor down over the new foundation, tied level to the existing house floor. Getting this transition right is why a finished addition does not have a step or a slope where the old house meets the new.

Floor joists and subfloor being installed over a home addition foundation

Walls and roof

Exterior walls framed with insulated sheathing, then trusses set and tied into the existing roofline. The roof tie-in is the single most visible tell of a poorly planned addition, and the reason we work it out on paper before anyone cuts a rafter.