(Editor’s Note: Arlington resident Bob McKersie occasionally writes pieces for YourArlington. This piece looks at a house being built on Jason Street.)
At the southern end of Jason Street an amazing new house is being built. The foundation is being constructed with large foam blocks that create the image of a large Lego installation. Talking to the owner, Andy Marks and the contractor Adi Marches provides some perspective on this interesting approach.
The foam blocks can be quickly assembled and then concrete is poured into the inside channels. Despite the very cold weather it is possible to create the foundation.
The main reason for adopting this approach is that the foundation will have a very high “R” value, which measures the ability of the structure to remain cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
You may wonder what was on this site before the new construction. Andy bought a house that had been built back in the 1950s and he intended to add a garage, but ran into a large outcropping of rock. In an effort to dislodge a good portion of the rock, the foundation of the existing house was weakened. So he decided to take the old house down and build a new house using up-to-date methods.
This piece was published on April 26, 2026.
