It’s 20 below, too cold to work or play outside. I want to stay in today and study a new topic. A guy told me yesterday about a foundation builder I know who put one in recently that was all precast concrete, walls set on an engineered gravel base, no spread footings under the walls, with corners bolted together at assembly time in the field. Sounds interesting. Anyone know of any web resources for seeing about this technology?
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It's been discussed here before - Ya might try the archives.
Also: http://www.superiorwalls.com/
They're the only outfit I know of that does this.
The Earth is full. Go home.
Hey Micro
I've got a foundation that you spoke of under my new house. The website that Boss Hog posted is the manufacturer (SUPERIOR WALLS). This foundation system can be installed year round provided that the necessary precautions are followed to keep the frost out of the site. Mine was loaded on two flat bed trucks and shipped from Wisconsin to its location in northern Illinois. With the help of a 50 ton crane the foundation was installed in about 7 hours with a crew of four in the middle of December ! The excavation was prepped with 1/2" chips around the entire perimeter and the wall set right on top of the gravel base. (No footings) Drain tile is installed inside the perimeter of the foundation per manufacturer specs. As of today I have a dry basement with no water problems at all. The walls are prepped with furring srtrips to later install drywall.
The stud cavities provide for an R-30 insulation batt to be installed to boost R- value in the wall to R- 35. Holes are provided for wiring and pipes. This system fast and cost effective as well. Compared to block or poured walls the cost was realatively cheaper and the fact that it could be installed year round was what sold me on the idea of using it. I believe the total cost with manufacturing, shipping, crew labor and the crane, the foundation came in at under $12,000 for a 1600 sq. ft. house with a full 8ft. high basement.