"Jay Pique" wrote in message
...
Just bought an 1890 two-story brick house with a stone foundation.
The basement is dirt right now, and I'd like to pour a concrete slab
down there. There's sufficient cieling height for a 4" slab without
excavating, which I'd definitely prefer not to do. Do I need a vapor
barrier? Can I just pour right over the dirt? I'm just starting to
do my research, so any thoughts or info would be appreciated.

JP

Much depends on local conditions. The ideal is 4 to 6" of washed gravel
between the footings (the house does have footings doesn't it?) topped with
a vapor barrier then 4"+ of concrete. If there is ground water that makes
the dirt wet, even if it is only seasonal, the washed gravel helps prevent
it from wicking into the concrete along with the vapor barrier resulting in
a dryer basement. If you have moisture down there you may want to install
drainage pipes in the gravel to collect the water and channel it to a sump
pump, as a house that old will not have any exterior drainage around the
outside of the footings. Do it right you never will be sorry, do a cheap
inadequate job and you may have to do it over correctly to be happy..