For many developers, concrete walls are considered the gold standard for basement construction. These walls when poured give both developers and homeowners a robust, dry material which leads to a stronger foundation, providing performance which is superior to block walls at a more competitive price. Here are some other core advantages of using concrete when building a basement.
Foundations made from poured concrete are completely solid all the way through. This happens automatically as the concrete will flow from the mix truck inside the foundation forms. However, if the workmanship is of poor quality, it can result in hollow spots, but adept contractors will make use of vibrating equipment to avoid this. Concrete blocks, by contrast, are hollow rather than solid. When they are stacked on top of each other you can look directly through the center.
Fire And Water Resistance
Poured concrete walls are joint free and extremely dense, which means they provide twice the resistance to fire that will be found with block walls that have a hollow core. These walls are also invulnerable to the presence of water, as they have few voids and are not very porous. Its density is twice that of block hollow core walls and typically weighs a minimum of fifty pounds per cubic feet. This means that a basement which uses poured concrete will remain drier.
Time And Cost Savings
Time is key when it comes to building a basement. Incorporating a poured concrete wall will give you a time advantage when it comes to framing. Usually, implementing a poured wall will take no longer than three days. Compare this to traditional block wall construction, where installation time can be twice as long. Poured walls are also much less expensive, so you will save big when installing them.
Strength And Ease Of Maintenance
These criteria should be valuable to every property owner. Solid concrete has a tremendous strength advantage over other types of walls, which makes it more resistant to cave ins which result from the combined pressures of water, earth and wind. Its compressive strength is also impressive, meaning it can better withstand building loads which are vertical. Concrete walls which are poured will actually grow in strength during the first 5 years following their installation.
Of equal importance is ease of maintenance. No one wants to deal with material which is hard or time consuming to clean; as they have more important and desirable things to attend to. The good news for those who choose poured concrete is that there is practically no maintenance. It is resistant to rot, fungi, termites and rats. It is not comprised of any preservatives and as such is non-toxic.
Flexible Design
A poured concrete wall basement is extremely flexible in terms of design. This is why it is used with condominiums, duplexes, apartments, ranches and other diverse home styles. Concrete walls can use a variety of attractive finishes which range from brick to stucco and board. This makes it one of the best materials you can use for your basement construction.