Hi Gang,
First time poster.  Super glad to have found the wealth of information here on the forums.  Been searching and reading nonstop for a week!

I'm getting ready to build a simple one level home on top a full basement (with a walkout) plus a 2 car garage attached to the main floor.  I'm 90% sold on using SIPs for walls and roof... but am still researching my basement options.  Enercept's basement SIPs are very attractive...

If I used basement SIPs, how would you connect the basement with the garage foundation since the garage sits level with upper floor?

It seems that the garage would need stepped footers up to ground level.  And on the step footers would be a footer wall (correct term?).  Would the footer wall right next to the basement wall need to connect or tie-in to the basement SIP?  And assuming this wall is made from CMU or cast concrete, how would you tie them together without compromising the water-proof barrier on the SIP?

I imagine if this was all done with cast-in-place concrete that the basement walls and garage footer walls would all be poured together and connected making them structurally solid.

I'm curious what others have seen done.  Thanks!

RAR
Spokane, WA

Kudos to you RAR for considering SIPs.  In my research for using SIPs in my future house I have heard many good things about Enercept so I think that would be a fine company.  I would just call them about this question you have.  Their number is: 800-658-3303
Good Luck!
-Joe

RAR,
I will second Joes thoughts, Enercept is a great company to work with. I use their foundation panels on all of the walk out basements we do. One of the reasons I use Enercept is there design and engineering departments, they will detail exactly how to tie your garage and basement together as part of their package.
Best of luck to you!

David

Here's some information I received regarding the described above situation...

For what you are describing for your basement/garage intersection, we would recommend a 10" basement panel with 2x10 studs 12" OC for that portion of the wall. Yes, garage footers should be on undisturbed ground, but if you have a basement abutting said garage, you still have to do your best with packing the backfill regardless of how that wall is built. Connecting the SIPs panel to a concrete wall is easiest when you hammer drill holes and epoxy bolts into the concrete wall, then use these bolts to secure a vertical ledger on the concrete wall to serve as a "starter" for the first panel, that is there will be a 1 1/2" (or 3" in high seismic zones) recess in the panel that will allow it to slip over this ledger and then be secured by nailing into it. This has been done many times by our builders. The waterproofing is essentially the same as for any other portion of the below-grade walls. We would recommend you put a layer of sill sealer or sill tape between the ledger and the concrete, we would also recommend drain tile, tar the sill seams, and 1 or 2 layers of 6 mil poly over ANY below grade wall. Whatever the material, you must provide drainage and some waterbarrier for below grade walls.
(edits made for readability)

I also imagine, if the concrete stem/footer wall intersected the SIPs basement panel in a "T"... then you could do the same things.  Use a vertical ledger attached to the concrete wall and screw the SIP to this ledger.  You would then need to consider the attached wall an extention and properly waterproof it just like you did the basement SIPs.

RAR,

Why stop with the Foundation SIPs when you reach the garage?  Continue the foundation with below grade SIPs for the garage as well. I have sold & installed many systems like this. The footing can be installed as would normally be provided for Permanent Wood Foundations - either set the SIPs on a treated plate over washed rock or set the SIPs on a concrete footing.  Garage foundations are normally supplied as a 6" or 8" panel with treated plywood on both interior and exterior with treated glu lam splines typically 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 7-3/8" installed in the panels @ 4' o.c.  Since this type of panel is a true laminated panel and not a framed wall with foam inserted between the studs, no other framing is required within the panels. 

Extreme Panel Technologies (800-977-2635) manufactures the best in foundation SIPs with most basement panels now being provided 10' high so that floor trusses can be set in top mount hangers eliminating the typical rim area required with other systems.

Curt
Minnesota

That's a good point Curt. 
Using SIPs for a basement wall makes sense to me (some noteable advantages), but using SIPs as a stem wall seemed like a more expensive solution to simple, poured concrete.

Perhaps, I'm wrong?  It would be an easier way to tie a garage foundation into a basement that was built using basement SIPs.

The initial cost may be a little higher than concrete but the advantage of having the SIP install crew set the foundation eliminates the need for another sub contractor and will result in less delays. In addition, you now have an insulated foundation at grade level. Depending on your climate, this could be money well spent.

Curt

rar...

I built a house 3 yrs ago with Enercept foundation panels.  And wall, and roof panels as well...I have a walkout, into the garage. I built my own wood walls for the garage part. But if i did it again, I would use the enercept panels for the garage too... I dont know what i was thinking not using them from the start....I put radiant heat in the slab for the basement.   It is the warmest, driest, lower level I have ever been in!!!!!.....I had them put a window in the basement panel, so I could have a legal bedroom in lower level....I primed the foundation panels, and covered the whole exterior with a self adheasive rubber material. I ran it down over sill, and down side of footing.....So My basement is sealed like a swimming pool...I backfilled with 2 ft of clear stone against foundation, then dirt....This gives a frost, heaving barrier betwtween dirt and wall......And drain plane.....Most people I know freeked when I said I was using ood foundation.....They just dont know......Actually with my waterproofing method, the wood is taken out o the equation......I just filled my propane tank, on thurs. I used 170 gals of propane since....Oct..!!!!!!!!......I heated 3000 sq ft. for almost 4 mo.   ...Not too dang bad!!!!!!.....And its been the coldest, snowiest, winter on record here......I love SIPS.....!!!!!

    Jim.........