We have to build a concrete block wall that will be dug into a hill. The top of the back wall will be about 2 feet above the top of the hill so the back wall will have dirt pushing on it and the side walls will have the earth tapering down to grade at the front of the building. Can we go with regular 8-inch blocks as long as we fill them with re-bar and concrete? Please advise. Thanks.

Maybe............ Contact a residential structural engineer. The best money you will spend on this project.

Tim,

I've tried to find the answer to this to no avail.

I am in the planning process of new home construction, and the builder is suggesting having the back section of the house be constructed of block concrete while the rest of the house will have poured walls.

From the builder’s explanation, because the back of the house will have a full walk-out condition and no backfill it would be OK to have a block wall. He states that because of the large quantity of windows in the back, a block wall would enable more precise placement of the windows vs. a poured wall (where the openings are purposely made larger and the voids filled with 2X4’s for final installation of the windows).

My concern is what affect, if any, will the poured & block wall combination have to the overall longevity of the foundation?

If not, is there anything special that needs to be done to “connect” the corners where the poured section and block wall come together?

Is this really the best option or are there some other options we should consider?

Many thanks for your help & have a great Holiday, Rob

Rob,
You are correct. It is possible to do this with poured concrete IF the builder has a foundation sub that has a clue of what to do. The key to success is accurate rough-in dimensions. You are right, make the poured openings larger and install treated lumber to get to where you need to be.

What is the least expensive building material I can use to build a 17,000 sqft warehouse. Steel buildings run about 6 to 7.50 dollars a sqft. Would poured concrete, concrete block or wood be more cost effective.

Thanks for your time,

Nick

Nick,
You may be joisting at windmills. Local building and FIRE codes may severely restrict your options. Discover first what is allowed and then get bids.

we are haveing our home built by a contractor and have noticed a few things our old house of 10 years had a sill gasket put on top of the cenemt before any of the wood touched it our contractor did not he says it is not needed. there is so much new on the market we didn't know. thanks

Shawn,
You need a sill gasket to stop air infiltration.

My contract built using concrete block on top of a 10"X10" concrete footings. On the back and sides the block are stacked 5 high and the front is 3 high. They are reinforced with rebar. Rebar in the footings and up to the top the blocks, there is horizontal rebar on in the 2 row of blocks and rebar on the top of the blocks. All of which I am happy with. My concern comes with the block filler they used. Normal concrete with up to 1"-1 1/2" gravel. From what I have read, shouldn't they have used pea size gravel? And is it Ok to use the larger gravel? What problems can I be looking at?

Thank You
Chuck

Chuck,
You are wrong. They should be using pea-gravel concrete to fill the cavities in concrete block. I have a column that tells you maximum aggregate size. Type aggregate into my search engine to find it.

AsktheBuilder,

I searched "maximum aggregate size" & "Aggregate"and only come up with blacktop gravel size and overlay concrete.

So if they did use 1" to 1 1/2" gravel concrete to fill the cavities, what are the drawbacks or problems?

I presume that the cavities might not fill completely, so I used a rod and poked it into the cavities.

Thank You
Chuck

Chuck,
You didn't follow my instructions....... I only said to use one keyword and when I did the search, I found this column in about three minutes.... Read it to find your answer........

http://www.askthebuilder.com/379_Resurfacing_Concrete.shtml

I went to that already but I don't see where that fits my question.

I did try aggregate only first but did not see where that helped.

I understand that if you adding 1" of concrete on top of your sidewalk(resurfacing it) that the gravel needs to be less then 1", preferrable 3/4" or less.

Does that mean if your filling the cavities of the block that the holes are 4" wide you need to use less then 4" gravel?

I heard that you need pea size gravel to file the cavities, if you use larger gravel, is that a problem? If so what problems are you looking at?

Maybe I am not communicating my question right.

Thanks

Chuck,
This sentence is the answer to your original question.

"The size of stone in concrete mixes is very critical. The maximum diameter of any stone in a concrete mix should never exceed 1/3 the thickness of the pour."

You need to supply the missing variable.... The thickness of the pour. What is the THINNEST the pour will be? What is the minimum distance between "any" two things in the block that are not the concrete mix that is being installed?

All I can do is tell you the standard. You then need to apply it. You have three things interacting: concrete mix, concrete block and rebar......

My home was built 1910 and has concrete block foundation, poured concrete basement floor, full height basement. I'm concerned about earthquakes (Seattle home) and ability to add vertically to home. Of course an engineer would become involved but am wondering whether such walls can possibly accept seismic upgrades and additional load or if they must be replaced, and with what. THanks very much.

David,
You are correct, contact a structural engineer.

Hi
I am looking at my budget for building a concrete/block wall.
This is not a retaining wall and I am assuming the foundation cost will be similar for all choices.
So I can decide which direction to go without getting many bids (I dont like to ask contractors to bid on something that I have no intention of building)
Do you have a guide as to cost per square yard for the following.(not including foundation or painting)
1/. Block wall.
2/. block wall plastered.
3/. Block wall faced with natural stone.
Thank you
Graham

Graham,
It is impossible for me to quote prices to you. There are no less than ten variables in your situation. Just go ahead and create some simple plans and specifications and get quotes.

I reciently bought a peice of property that has ALOT of concrete centerblocks piled up and scattered around... I was hoping you could give me some practical and also creative ideas of what i could use these for weither it be building or landscaping. Thank you very much for your time.

I bought a manufactured home on a permanent foundation. I would like to lift the home and have a basement built under. Could my existing permanent foundation be used as part of the new basement to save me money? If I use concrete blocks? Or poured walls? Would the existing footings be fine to use?
I am hoping to make a walk out basement somehow... maybe taking out just one side of the existing foundation? I don't know anything about construction, just wondering what is possible as far as putting basement in and using the existing foundation already there. It is about 6 years old. Thanks for any help! Kelly

Christine,
You can use them for the foundation of your home, the walls and any exterior retaining walls or fences you may want to build. They can also be crushed and used as a foundation for a roadway.

I am building a new home but have an issue with the weight of concrete trucks crossing a pond dam. This is the only way in so I'm looking for alternatives to pour the footings and garage floor. Would a portable mixer be a viable alternative? Thanks.

Kelly,
It is doubtful any of the existing foundation could be reused. You better know how to pick winning lottery numbers or have a rich aunt that has named you in her will. The cost to do what you want will take your breath away.

Frank,
That is not viable. How about pumping it??? Call a concrete pumping company.

i am in the process of buying a house the foundation is cement block on one side of the house the blocks are separated horizontally to the point you can fit a good sized finger I'm just wondering not being rich is it a good idea to buy a house with this problem? is their anything that can be done to help the situation im assuming it cant be reversed without jackin up the house but please help me out i don't know much about this thanks for any help

Jordan,
Run away!!!!!!! Go find another house sans a structural problem.

I am currently looking at purchasing a quad level home that was built in 1977. The foundation is block and there is a possibility of water damage in the sub basement. Also, in the sub basement one wall of the foundation was replaced with poured concrete. There is evidence of excessive settling in one of the corners of this wall (2 additonal 4x6 posts, mortar cracks on exterior face brick, and a window slightly out of plumb). What else can I look for to determine the structural strength of this foundation. Thanks

Mike,
You can hire a structural engineer to look at it.

My question is in regards to waterproofing a block basement with drywall walls. Several yrs. ago my home experienced a water leak. Our ground is mainly clay based and the home had the typical tile field around the perimeter. We waterproofed from the inside using a trench filled with pea gravel that empties to the sump pit. We haven't seen any more moisture in the basement except for in a corner by the sump area which shows the drywall molding. What can I do to repair it? It's unclear where the moisture is coming from but suspect it is moisture wicking up the wall from the sump. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

My wife and I are thinking about buying a house made of conrete blocks. We have one concern: cost of remodeling. If we want to sub-divide a room or change the windows, I'm worried it will cost an arm-and-a-leg because it's concrete blocks. Additionally, the house has a sliding door we want to change. Is remodeling expensive? Will we havev trouble finding a contractor knowledgeable about this material?

Stacy,
It could be rising damp and it could be water from the outside soil. The only way is to waterproof the exterior of the block and have a superior foundation drainage system.

Michael,
Concrete block should not cost you much when it comes to remodeling. That would be the least of my worries if buying.

Tim,

I am looking at buying a home that needs extensive roundation repair. The current wall is a combination of concrete block (just a small portion), brick and cobbel stone. The last owner did a lot of repair to the house but failed to re install gutters for the last 5 years. My plan is to lift the house on jacks, take the old wall out, dig a new footing and then put a block wall up. Would you suggest doing the basement one wall at a time or lifting the whole house and doing the entire thing at once? I have not moved into the house yet and have a little time before I need to move from the one I am in.

Thanks

Dan

Ask the builder,

We have cottage, not heated in winter, that sits on a below grade cement footing that has 5 or 6 rows of concrete block on top that the wood structure sits on. The top 2 blocks are above ground level. The foundation is about 50 years old. In many spots along the cement block they are shifting causing some bowing. To stablize the wall a contractor is recommending drilling holes in the top block and filling all cavities with a fairly liquid cement that will dry and harden. He said pretty much eliminate continued wall shifting.

Do you think this is a reasonable fix for the cost, about $6,300 conplete?

Bob

We are in the planning stages of our new home. When constructing a concrete filled block foundation, should the rebar be continuous from inside the footer to the top row of blocks? We are new to East TN, and we cannot find builders or block layers that want to build this way. We wanted a poured concrete foundation, but we only have two companies that do that, and both want very high prices. Thanks

i am going to build a new home about 1800 sqr ft ranch and i am wodering my builder does poured and blocked walls which one is better for me? the foundation or basement will be 1800 sqr ft also and will be sticking 16 inches out of the ground in the front and slope down to the back of the house. we will also have a walkout basement with acouple of windows on the rear. there will be 3 foot of dirt covering the back of the house and 9 foot cielings in the main floor and basement areas. the block wall will have reinforced rebar and pourd concrete ever 6 feet and cost 9 thousand dollars less then pourd. we will live here the rest of our lives wich is the smart dicission to go whith, pourd or blocked? thank you

Hi Tim,
I want to install a waterproofing system from www.waterproof.com and the system requires to drill weep holes in the block to allow water to drain. I have glazed tile foundation blocks and Im not sure if they have the anatomy of a cement block or if there are any horizontal parts to the inside of the block that would prevent water from draining from the top of the wall to the bottom. Do you have any pictures of the inside of a glazed tile block?? They are about the size of a cement block, beige in color and the house was built in 1965.
Thanks,
Joe

We are planning to construct a house.
For the foundation we chose concrete blocks.
What kind of connecting link should we use?
Thank you.


My English is very bed, I write you from Russia.

I recently purchased old home - 135 years old.
A previous home owner dug out the basement and undermined the footing of the stone foundation.
My home inspector said just to monitor it, but another enginner recently advised me to address this immediately.

I am considering building a concrete block wall in front of the area where the footing is undermined and filling with stone or concrete.
Any advice.

I am wanting to build a simple home, single level 10 foot high, 30' wide x 50' deep, with only the front and back entrance exposed. The rest under ground, with 2' of soil over the top. With a few options of ;standard cinder block ,rebar reinforced poured concrete, and cinder block with rebar and poured concrete filling, concrete foundation and flooring, and a sturdy roofing system;.. Basically, a big shoe box with only the ends exposed.
Which would be the best and most cost effective way to go? And just the construction part of the project, (less any outside or inside finishing, drainage etc) what cost would I be looking at, (very ball-park idea)?

i am going to build a barn with hayloft app. 36'X 48' using the dry stack. the walls will be app 20' high total how do i figure the footing i have read it should be 24" x 24" but have also been told that it should be double the width and depth of the blocks which is right?

Rob,

Earth covered structures can be a problem to get watertight.

If I were doing a project similar to yours, I'd look into a concrete dome.

I like Monolithic Domes (www.monolithic.com).

These have a number of advantages due to the geometry and the seamless shell.

For underground placement though, the watertightness is hard to get using more conventional structure design.

I am planning a 12 X 12 shed, it is too far away to get a poured concrete foundation so what can I use for the footing on a block foundation. The area is level and I do not have any water problems.

We are working on plans to build our retirement home on a sloped lot with expansive clay soil. We have had one builder tell us that a solid concrete foundation is best, while another says the pier and beam approach is best. The gradual slope of the lot is about 10 feet over the 75 foot lot top to bottom, and we live in Texas where the weather is hot and humid most of the year. We want a foundation that is the best value for providing solid stability for many years. We would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

how do poured concrete basement/foundation walls compare to pre cast concrete. In having a dry basement, cost and strenght?