We have a postwar 1 1/2 story house in Western Canada. When we bought it, half the basement had a concrete slab, and the other half was dirt and some drain rock. We have pretty constant soil moisture and fairly cold winters, so putting down a new floor was a high  priority. We dug up the old floor and went a few inches extra to allow a proper slab of some sort. We woudl greatly prefer to avoid the enviro costs of concrete, but are at a loss for a suitable replacement.

We have tried adobe, but we have dampness and mold which precludes using straw as a binding agent - our test patches seemed weak and crumbly. I can post pics for those who may be interested.

Any ideas for an alternative to concrete? I have looked into the magnesium concrete, but it seems not to be availale in the marketplace yet.

thanks

I do not know of an alternative to concrete that is on the market.  I do know that fly ash and/or slag can be used to greatly reduce the amount of cement in concrete.  Fly ash and slag can also help make the concrete more waterproof.

One could put down plastic and foam and then build a wood deck over it. I have no idea if that is better for the environment though.

polycorecanada.com/products/residential-foundation-floors

good luck
Adi

Pier and beam, time and patience.

AAC if available.