Why I Jack Hammered This Brand New Basement Floor

I made a dumb mistake on this house, and if I hadn’t caught it I could have put the future homeowner at risk. I forgot to stub out the radon vent pipe before we poured the basement floor. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that leaks out of the ground and it’s known to be one of the leading causes of lung cancer. But here’s how I fixed it- I cut a small section out of the basement floor and jackhammered it up. This gave me enough room to dig out some of the gravel under the slab and drill a 5” hole into the side of the form-a-drain. Most people think form-a-drain is only there to move water away from the foundation, but it also creates an air pathway under the slab to help collect radon gas. I used 4” Schedule 40 PVC pipe- the fitting on this pipe actually fit perfect in hole I drilled. Once the house is framed, we’ll run this pipe all the way up through the roof. This is called a passive radon system. After the house is done, the homeowner can hire a professional to test for radon- if the levels are high, they can turn this into an active system by adding a fan in the attic. @hausplans #build #howto #construction #diy #contractor