Accommodating Moving Ground A Reno Ready for Sinking Soil Gerard and Jacquie Gardiner had a sinking feeling, even before they built their new house. But it was something they expected, given they were on 10 coveted acres in Corman Park, a beautiful natural setting—on a flood plain. That means anything built is likely
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Saskatoon HOME
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to sink a little, especially on a site just over 30 metres from the South Saskatchewan River. To borrow from the country song, if the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise, the couple was determined this peaceful site would be home no matter what.
Fall 2016
Jacquie, with architectural technology experience, designed the open concept two-storey with a modest 936 sq. ft. footprint. Engineering firms were hired to oversee construction and test soil. Gerard, who has a mechanical engineering back-
ground, realized their design had distributed the weight with massive footings so that pressure per square inch was lighter than the footprint of a car. An above ground foundation was designed, with an eight-foot berm around the house. The Gardiners scoffed,