Monolithic Foundations

We've completed another monolithic foundation pour. A "monolithic pour" means that all of the foundation concrete is poured at one time.

There are two main benefits to working this way. One is that the resulting foundation is much stronger than one that is poured in stages. Rather than a break between each stage, a monolithic foundation is one cohesive piece. The second benefit is that the concrete pump truck only needs to make one trip to the job site rather than three. At a cost of about $600 per visit, it saves a substantial amount of money, not to mention fuel, emissions and labor to have the pump truck come out one time.

As mentioned in an earlier post, we use a CertainTeed product called Form-A-Drain that acts as both a footing form, and a radon gas and water drain for the foundation. By using special brackets designed by our engineers we are able to perfectly space the footing forms, hold the re-bar in place and support the Logix Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for the foundation walls. ICF Blocks” are factory molded expanded polystyrene forms that are left in place after the concrete is poured for a foundation or wall. One of the benefits of using “ICF” block is that the resulting foundation is insulated, eliminating the need for external air vents that transfer heat and allow pests to enter and exit the foundation. The system has been incorporated in everything from foundations like ours to complete concrete buildings.

Logix ICF blocks fit together quickly and easily to create foundation forms that are the correct width consistently throughout the foundation. The blocks support all of the rebar required by code and connect to each other creating a single pour form that increases strength and decreases labor. The outside of the foundation can then be finished with stucco, siding, or stone for depending on the look desired. Read more about Logix at www.logixicf.com

After pouring the footings and ICF forms we finish up with an Earth Slab. (Stay tuned for more about the benefits of Earth Slabs in a future post about conditioned crawl spaces)

Mark Mecklem - Miranda Homes