Just moved to State College PA and will be building a new house. The builder builds with cement block foundation and for an upgrade I can have Superior Walls for the foundation. I was sold on Superior Walls but have talked to a few people and they say that Superior will crack over time and that its not that great of a foundation. Now I’m really confused. Anyone out there knows what I should do??
Also, I plan to finish out the basement and I was hoping to have a walk out. Is this a smart thing to do??
All this is new to me.
Thanks
Norm
Replies
Superior Walls has put a lot of stuff in around here, and I don't recall any reports of cracking. I'd be inclined to wonder if it was an installation problem instead of a problem with the walls themselves. They have to sit on compacted fill - Maybe the installers aren't doing a good job.
BTW - Know anyone named Bassani out there? I have some good friends in State College....
Redneck Extraordinaire
" Also, I plan to finish out the basement and I was hoping to have a walk out. Is this a smart thing to do??"
If the terain supports this then it is a great option. You get lots of good space at a relatively low cost.
Norm,
I have built 3 homes on Superior Wall foundations. My thoughts are: Make sure the installers do a very good job on leveling and tamping the stone base, and that your soil conditions are suitible for this type of footing. If things shift under the walls, you will have serious problems. Basement floors must be poured first before backfilling and main floor deck should be in place also. Floor deck framing should have solid blocking at ends where joists are parallel to foundation. We used simpson metal brackets to fasten joists to sills, as the floor deck is an important part of the permanent lateral bracing of the foundation walls. When backfilling, take extra care to make sure no stones of any size are against the wall as the concrete is not very thick and can be punched through. Overall, I think the system is ok, but for an insulated wall system I prefer ICF block with poured concrete.
Bish
Hi,
Thanks for the help. Do you know of anyone in the area that sells ICF foundations? I think I'll have to settle for Superior Walls as I believe they are better than regular block foundations.
Thanks
Norm
Norm,
Try looking into the ARXX form system, formerly called AAB. This is the system I've used and been very happy with. I don't know if there is a dealer or contractor in your area, but check their website for more info. Good Luck.
Bish