Casting Residential Foundation Walls in Cold Weather
By James R Baty II, F.ACI, Executive Director During a recent CFA event, conversation took place regarding the research significance undertaken by the Association at the start of this new millennium – research that was, in most respects, the first of its kind. What plagued the industry at that time was scrutiny that concrete placed […]
Matching Form Release Agents to Application Methods: Part II
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT: Matching Form Release Agents to Application Methods Part 2 of a 4-Part Series By Destry Kenning, Forming Market Segment Manager, Nox-Crete Products Group Formwork requires a considerable investment, but even the best forms cannot produce the best results unless they are paired with the proper form release agent. To prevent the adhesion […]
Dealing With the Reactivity of Aluminum Forms and Concrete
By Destry Kenning, Forming Market Segment Manager, Nox-Crete Products Group Part 1 of a 4-Part Series Anyone who has placed concrete against new or older reconditioned and not properly seasoned aluminum forms is most likely familiar with the veins or worm-like trails that form in the resulting concrete, and also familiar with the excessive […]
Twisted Steel Micro-Rebar in Load-Carrying Concrete Walls
by Samhar Hoz, Jeff Novak, Luke Pinkerton Concrete walls are widely used in building construction. Concrete is strong in compression; however, its tensile strength is only 8 to 15 percent of the compressive strength. Thus, plain concrete does not have good tensile properties. Cracks can develop due to loads, restrained shrinkage, or temperature changes […]
Acceptable Tolerances for Residential Footings
As published in Concrete Contractor Magazine, August/September 2017. This column pertains to the nature of minimum requirements or specifications for the size of concrete footings in relation to the foundation walls they support. Question: I have a foundation that was poured and I am not impressed. The footings were poured and when they set the […]
Tips for Pouring Concrete Foundations in Cold Weather
As published in Concrete Contractor Magazine December 04, 2013By James R. Baty II, F.ACI, F.TCA Question: Concrete foundation pours in cold weather will be affected by temperatures in the mid 30s to mid 40s or lower. How should I ensure my customers and our building inspectors that the walls will perform as designed? – Concrete Contractor […]
Confirming the Connection Detail for a Residential Footing
As published in Concrete Contractor Magazine, January/February 2017. This column is an expansion of the footing detail discussion offered in the December 2016 edition. In this issue, a CFA member asks for an interpretation of the cover requirements for dowels in a footing used to provide connection between the concrete footing and the foundation wall. […]
Code Minimum Foundation Heights Above Grade Are Important
As seen in The Washington Post, this Ask the Builder article by Tim Carter reinforces the information that has been presented for years by the Concrete Foundations Association. Carter provides sound advice: “keep the foundation well above grade. And also make sure the grade falls away from the foundation.” To be specific, the 2015 International Residential […]
CFA Foundation Fundamentals
Positive Drainage…Curing Compound…Fluid Pressure? What were those words the foundation contractor used during our meeting yesterday? Construction projects, like so many other business endeavors, are not without communication problems between parties. Many are associated with terminology that is common to the contractor, yet distinctly foreign to the customer or owner. Although the following list of […]
Contractor’s Footing-Form Innovation Becomes a Competitive Advantage
Published by Concrete Contractor Magazine, April 23, 2014 In the early 1990s Barry Herbert, then president of Otsego, Mich.,-based concrete contractor Herbert Construction Co., learned an alternative method for forming footings. Barry spoke with Ron Colvin, a concrete contractor from Berrien Springs, Mich. about footing construction. The two had become friends through their membership with the Concrete Foundations Association of North […]
