How WarmFörm Works
WarmForm Instruction Video
Traditional foundations rely on digging deep trenches to extend footings below the local frost line. Foundations must reach below the frost line in order to prevent freezing soil from lifting the foundation and breaking apart the house above.
WarmForm eliminates all the digging by using a method known as Frost Protected Shallow Foundations, or FPSF. For foundations in this configuration instead of digging deep into the soil to avoid freezing, they rely on the insulation of the house to insulate the soil below and prevent it from freezing. Once we have done this, it allows you to redirect construction value from digging muddy holes in the ground towards building insulation that returns value to the owner long after construction is a memory.
A WarmFörm foundation is based on decades of testing and tens of thousands of installed examples in Northern Europe where it is has evolved as the preferred foundation system, as it combines insulation and formwork in one elegant solution. Because the outer face of WarmFörm comes pre-finished with a cement parge there is no need to finish an exposed slab edge face after installation. And because the prefabricated elements are made to exact sizes, dimensional accuracy of the finished slab is easier to achieve.
WarmFörm is especially suited for radiant heated slab applications in cold climate construction since the radiant loop tubing can be placed on the insulation before the rebar is placed. The slab and footing grade beams are formed in one pour, and there is no formwork to remove after the pour.
It is well known that slab on grade foundation is the least expensive way to build. Yet North Americans are only accustomed to slab on grade in warm climate regions. WarmFörm allows builders in climate zones normally requiring 4 foot or deeper foundations to build shallow slabs that conform to code, but cost less to install. If you want to make a highly insulated structure there is no better way to be sure that your insulated envelope completely surrounds your building.
Background
WarmFörm is based on foundations systems that have been commercialized in Scandinavia for over 30 years. Over these many years, builders in Scandinavia have refined this product to make it efficient, easy to install, and reliable. We in the US have the benefit of being able to learn from their science, and take advantage of it without the long learning curve. Today in Scandinavia there are numerous manufacturers offering a range of similar products, but up until now builders in North America were forced to makeshift solutions for insulation around conventional frost depth slab and stem wall foundations. Meanwhile, nearly every new home in Scandinavia is built on frost protected slab like WarmFörm because it is a faster and more efficient way to build a slab for cold climates.
WarmFörm is now available to anyone in North America who wants an insulated slab that functions just like the systems used in Scandinavia: Välkommen to WarmFörm.