need opinions ,foundation wise
well i just bought a camp and it has foundation issues .i knew this while buying it and it was priced accordingly .it is a good sound structure with poor foundation under it .
i want to put a basement under it ,it is on a hillside situation so it will be walk out on one side .
my question concerns what type of basement will be used . i have a couple of friends in the construction field ,one says pour a concrete basement the other says a block is the way to go . i have since learned of pre fab basement walls .
i want to raise the elevation of the house and dont have much room to move it ,jacking up is possible .
if you have some info lets hear it ,pros or cons welcome .
wrench
i want to put a basement under it ,it is on a hillside situation so it will be walk out on one side .
my question concerns what type of basement will be used . i have a couple of friends in the construction field ,one says pour a concrete basement the other says a block is the way to go . i have since learned of pre fab basement walls .
i want to raise the elevation of the house and dont have much room to move it ,jacking up is possible .
if you have some info lets hear it ,pros or cons welcome .
wrench
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Well I like the sound of a poured basement. I don't think much of blocks, but that's just me. I mean, take a three pound hammer and you can smash one all to heck in seconds, so where's the strength? I like the sound of the prefab walls but how are the corners attached and sealed? 0 -
I too would have to wonder how the prefab joints would seal. For that
reason alone, I would only consider poured. I built an earth contact
(3 sides) home in 91', poured walls, and absolutely no leakage of any
kind..yet. I have a shop building that has a block earth contact
retaining wall that is about to cave totally in because of the eathen
pressure. <my opinion> Go Poured!!0 -
mt357 is right, take even a 22OZ. hammer and breal blocks in seconds. I use a small sledge sometimes to bust brick backed by blocks. Takes a few minutes to bust a 4 foot x 3 foot section out for ductwork 0 -
The only prefab foundations that I have seen were foam forms that you poured concrete into, so I guess that they would also be considered poured.
That being said, I would also go poured. If for no other reason than the time factor. It takes a lot more time to construct a foundation out of blocks than it does to pour one. Just my $.02.0 -
If you are in an area where the ground freezes in the winter you really need to go with poured concrete walls. Frost can and will push in walls made of blocks. Plus the solid concrete will make it warmer in the winter in the basement and help keep out any ground wanter seepage. 0 -
Sound's like a job to me.[:(] 0 -
There is a reason why 95 per cent of houses have concrete block foundations.
They are strong and they are cheap. I checked out using poured foundation walls for my house, it was three times higher than block.
I solid filled the three cores at each corner, after putting re bar in those cores top to bottom.
If you have an eight foot wall that is underground, you need to solid fill/rebar every fourth core.
These walls can also be made waterproof, my buddy's house was coated with a heavy black rubberized compound, the stuff came in 3x5 foot sheets, and was applied with a giant propane torch. Hasn't leaked in 15 years.0 -
I moved a house and sat it on 8 ft poured walls with 3 course of block on top, the block was done so they could get the Ibeams out when they sat the house down. The block will have to be sealed or it will leak(not heavily but still), My poured part has not had a problem. 0 -
Soil type, weather conditions and ground moisture/water table are all factors. In my area soils are clay, frost depth is about 5' and the water table is often within 2-3 ft. of grade level. As such block walls are prone to frost damage an moisture penetration even with good waterproofing. I rarely see a block wall more than 7-10 years old that doesn't have cracking in the joints even with reinforcement. On the other hand because of being in a floodplain most basements are required to be reinforced poured concrete. Have not seen a problem with one in the 11 years I have been doing inspections. They are more expensive though. Due to the "hillside" situation of your structure I would be inclined to go poured because of the extra pressure exerted by the "hill" that you do not have on a basement on flat ground. I'm not sure prefab would be any cheaper than poured cause you are paying to have them trucked in and lifted into place with a crane and then you have to make sure the joints are sealed properly. 0 -
I lifted my house and had a contractor pour a basement under it.
When I priced it the poured basement was less expensive than a block basement.0 -
A masonry (cmu block) wall if built correctly can be just as good as a poured concrete basement wall. By built corectly I mean, all cores grouted full, vertical reinforcing as required for the soil lateral load, outside of the wall waterproofed.
For your situation block walls will probably be easier to install. Poured concrete walls would be my choice if there is not a significant price difference between block and concrete.
What do you mean by pre-fab walls? Are these precast concrete wall panels or what?0 -
What do you mean by pre-fab walls? Are these precast concrete wall panels or what?
yes ,precast at a plant transported to the site .
the runoff of the hill is a big concern of mine ,seems to be pretty moist there . i have only been there in there winter as i have just purchased the place .
frost to 4 feet ,basement will be at least 8(or more) foot as i plan on finishing it .we get plenty of very cold weather as we are a higher peak in our region .
i thought of pouring to 8 feet (have 8' forms available) then blocking to finish elevation .
wrench0 -
The old part of our basement is poured concrete. That part had a trailer on it for a long time, then when the took out the trailer to build the house, they had to expand the basement. The new part of the basement is block, and that's the part that's walk out.
Block is probably easier if you're doing it yourself.0 -
Pre-Fab Pannels are hard to handle,they have to be craned into place. But faster than a block or poured foundation. they will be space 3/4 of an inch apart to allow for movement. the Joints will not be a problem. there is a foam backer rod that is jambed between them and then a chalk joint is applied both inside and out. then on the exterior you will then apply a water proof membrane or spray it with waterproofing. and then 2 inches of rigid insulation. you will have to do the same with a block or poured foundations. We have got into alot of prefab stuff here lately it saves alot of time when your building season is short. don't know if it saves money in the long run i'd say the is equal too a poured foundation if you have the proper equipment to erect the pannels. Block if grouted solid with the proper steel reinforcement will be adequate structurally and cost 1/3 less than the poured concrete. and maybe more if you do-it-yourself 0 -
I also think poured would be the way to go. 0
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