Hi!
I have a Chicago Hardy Fig on it's way! 
I'm in zone 5.  Sometimes it says 6. The location I selected is a protected alcove with south and west sun. between the house and the hot tub.  It seems good for the tree, but I'm now concerned for the house. How far away from the house is necessary to prevent damage to the foundation?  I read about burying a pot and drilling holes in the side to direct the roots away from the house.  Does this work? Is it accurate that the CHFig will reach 10-12 ft tall?
Thanks. 

Robin

You will get different opinions about this but it seems like as long as the fig is at least 4 feet away from the foundation you should be ok. If you lived in the south or in west coast where figs can get quite large I would be more concerned but in zone 5/6 it is unlikely your tree will become a monster, especially with yearly pruning.

It will stay small,because Winter will prune it down every year.
Small tree small roots so ,no problem for foundation.

You should be fine. Some people plant figs right next to the house, although I would want at least 2-3 ft. But in your zone it will not be a problem.

Hi,
If you're concerned, just bury an 80 liters/20gallons trashcan ( or 200liters/50gallons barrel ) with bottom removed.
The tree will stay inside of the trashcan and that will  let you sleep smoothly ...
I do that but because of moles and voles... I don't want their foundations to ruin the roots of my trees LOL ...
Depending on the depth of the foundations, you may shorten the container so that the roots can escape the container but deeper than your foundations.
This will help the tree in getting water from the outside surrounding dirt. In the container, even with the bottom removed, you'll have to keep an eye on the tree for her to have proper access to water.
You could cut and use half or 3/4 of the container, to let the roots escape through the removed 1/4 too . That opening would be towards the opposite direction of the house of course ...
Don't forget to protect your tree during the winter ! The less die-back, the more fruits !

My in ground HC grows as a bush with many stems getting 12+ feet every year.  It then dies to the ground every winter - it used to die back from the cold and now I take cuttings.  Since it dies back it grows as a bush with many stems.  Also, the more wood you bury underground and the deeper the wood is the greater its chances of surviving a bad winter.  Mine is about 30' from the house just to get it in the sun.