| Architectural Concrete Block |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Throughout the country homeowners are
discovering buried treasure when they expand their
living space with the luxurious lower level.
Retrofitting a house more and more includes a
basement. The house can be jacked up and the
basement walls are made with masonry block units.
If the house is close to the elevation you wish and
the water table is deep enough, you can have a
contractor block the house up on steel beams
supported under the house and outer supports for
these beams will be well away from the side of the
house. Now you can dig trenches at the corners and
every 20 feet along each side. These trenches are
to deep enough to pour the concrete foundation
footings. Next you build short sections of the
basement walls using architectural concrete block.
The weight of the house is lowered onto these
sections removing the beams and blocks.
Now have the soil removed from under the house.
The rest of the walls can now be constructed using
architectural concrete block. Masonry looks like
something anybody can do but when you are talking
about the very foundation of your home, I suggest
you need to hire professionals. And it is not just
because they may have to use a masonry saw or
other specialty tools. There are going to be many
joints where the masonry units connect to each other
so they will make sure your basement is properly
reinforced and the walls are waterproofed to avoid
water seepage.
Solid concrete is better able to resist cave-ins
caused by lateral pressures of water and earth but if
the conditions permit masonry wall construction is a
very acceptable option. Architectural concrete block
walls will need to be waterproof coated where below
ground. If there will be a lot of exposed concrete
basement walls, the architectural concrete blocks
will look nicer. Sometimes the best option is a
combination of these two systems. First you have a
low wall of poured concrete then have a block wall
built on top up to the full height.
discovering buried treasure when they expand their
living space with the luxurious lower level.
Retrofitting a house more and more includes a
basement. The house can be jacked up and the
basement walls are made with masonry block units.
If the house is close to the elevation you wish and
the water table is deep enough, you can have a
contractor block the house up on steel beams
supported under the house and outer supports for
these beams will be well away from the side of the
house. Now you can dig trenches at the corners and
every 20 feet along each side. These trenches are
to deep enough to pour the concrete foundation
footings. Next you build short sections of the
basement walls using architectural concrete block.
The weight of the house is lowered onto these
sections removing the beams and blocks.
Now have the soil removed from under the house.
The rest of the walls can now be constructed using
architectural concrete block. Masonry looks like
something anybody can do but when you are talking
about the very foundation of your home, I suggest
you need to hire professionals. And it is not just
because they may have to use a masonry saw or
other specialty tools. There are going to be many
joints where the masonry units connect to each other
so they will make sure your basement is properly
reinforced and the walls are waterproofed to avoid
water seepage.
Solid concrete is better able to resist cave-ins
caused by lateral pressures of water and earth but if
the conditions permit masonry wall construction is a
very acceptable option. Architectural concrete block
walls will need to be waterproof coated where below
ground. If there will be a lot of exposed concrete
basement walls, the architectural concrete blocks
will look nicer. Sometimes the best option is a
combination of these two systems. First you have a
low wall of poured concrete then have a block wall
built on top up to the full height.