A growing number of builders are beginning to use prefab concrete foundations
for their residential building. The walls are poured in a factory and
include foam insulation as part of the wall structure so there is a “built-in
R-value”. The walls are shipped on a truck to the construction site.
A crane lifts them into place on a compacted gravel footing (not a concrete
footing).
The walls are bolted together after a heavy deposit of epoxy is placed
in the joint.
In
addition to the insulation, the walls have ribs that allow additional
insulation to be placed between them and the surface of each rib has a
firring strip attached to which you can attach finish materials if the
basement area is made into a living space.
The compressive strength of the concrete is so high, the wall is dampproof
and does not need additional dampproofing applied to it to keep water
from wicking through the concrete. The cost in projects done to date is
about 10% more than conventional poured concrete walls.
The
supplier of this system in this area is Superior Walls. For the builder
it means reducing the days necessary for construction. The framing can
be installed immediately after the installation. The installation shown
in these pictures was done in one half day! We’ll be keeping an
eye on this new system to see how it performs over time.
Prefab
Foundations Take Hold
In
addition to the insulation, the walls have ribs that allow additional
insulation to be placed between them and the surface of each rib has a
firring strip attached to which you can attach finish materials if the
basement area is made into a living space. 
The
supplier of this system in this area is Superior Walls. For the builder
it means reducing the days necessary for construction. The framing can
be installed immediately after the installation. The installation shown
in these pictures was done in one half day! We’ll be keeping an
eye on this new system to see how it performs over time.