NAHB UNIVERSITY OF HOUSING UNVEILS CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS COURSE

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a powerful force in the business of home building. Most home builders in the United States belong and participate in their association and most of the members of CFA work with builders who are part of the NAHB. The NAHB, like the CFA, provides its members with a host of benefits including networking opportunities, publications, and educational opportunities. Among the educational offering are seminars in Foundation Drainage and Waterproofing, and Concrete Housing with Removable, Reusable Forms. These courses were offered at the recent meeting of the NAHB in Orlando, Florida, thanks to the participation of the CFA and CHC in the Building Systems Council of the NAHB. Brent Anderson presented a well attended and received seminar on foundation drainage and waterproofing and I presented the course on concrete homes.

The real opportunity for the CFA and its members to educate builders about concrete foundations, however, is through the new course offered through the NAHB University of Housing. The course is called “Cast-in-Place Concrete Foundations.” The University of Housing is the primary source of the educational needs for NAHB members who are seeking to obtain continuing education. A course listed in their catalog gives the us access to the builders, as well as an excellent opportunity to educate them about foundations.

The pilot was offered in Kalamazoo, Michigan in mid-December and is ready for presentation through your local HBA. The half-day course, developed for the builder audience, covers a broad range of topics including soils, excavation, footings, foundation walls, concrete basics, waterproofing, backfilling, maintenance, and troubleshooting. The course must be sponsored by a local HBA and taught by an HBA approved instructor. We suggest you contact your local HBA and make them aware of the existence of the course.

We are encouraging anyone who wants to teach the course to complete the NAHB training process. In order to qualify as an instructor you must take a day-long “Train the Trainer” course offered by the NAHB and you must take the Foundation Course itself. Eight CFA members have completed the “Trainer” course and an additional ten will take it at the Regional Meeting in Minneapolis this April. Most of these “instructors” will take the “Foundation Course” in Minneapolis during the same period, thus completing their requirements to qualify. If you are interested in teaching the seminar, contact the CFA at 866-232-9255 or esauter@cfawalls.org and we will put you in touch with NAHB personnel.