Sometimes called poured walls, concrete foundations have become popular in recent years as an alternative to block masonry foundations. Unlike masonry, concrete formwork can be erected in virtually any kind of weather. In West Virginia, as you know, there are many challenges in building that are somewhat unique to our region. One of the most formidable challenges we face is the uneven terrain in which we have to build. In most cases, at least two walls of foundations are stressed by at least six feet of unbalanced fill. Poured walls are an excellent way to combat this. Because of the solid nature of a poured wall and the natural cohesion of concrete reinforced with rebar, concrete foundations are four times less likely to fail due to tensile forces than concrete masonry unit foundations, or block foundations.
At Foxfire we first purchased the equipment to enable us to build poured walls in 2005. At that time most foundations were built using concrete masonry units. When we first bought our panels we found it was difficult to get contractors and homeowners to understand what we were trying to accomplish, but after almost four years the concept has finally taken off.
Building with poured walls is also faster on average than any other onsite foundation system. This allows projects to be completed on time, and for contract or speculation builders, time is money. Concrete foundations cost more initially than block foundations, but not significantly more. In some applications it is actually cheaper, depending on the layout.
We believe that in terms of life cycle costs, maintenance, and liability; poured walls are always the cheapest way to go. Also, quality is more easily controlled in site cast concrete foundations. Concrete is one of the most exciting, versatile, durable, and affordable building materials used today. If correctly constructed, concrete is able to withstand wind, fire, and tensile forces, as well as enhancing acoustic value. At Foxfire Corporation we work closely with our supplier to ensure that our mix design gives us a great finish and that it also meets the strength requirements for each project that we work on.
We build every foundation square and level. When we leave you will not have any problems building on top of our walls. The people we have in the field are knowledgeable about what they are building and take pride in the finished product. Foxfire Corporation strives to hire competent, consciences, respectful people who look at what they do within the company as a career choice.
Our employee turnover rate is very low, which ensures that our people know how to get the job done right and without incident in a field where challenges come in every shape, size and disguise. Over the years, there isn’t much we haven’t seen, from poor specs and plans, to no plans, to rain, ice snow, darkness, mechanical failure, scheduling problems, poor building sites, poor access roads to the job, and sometimes no road at all. We will bring our own dozer along if needed to pull trucks onto the job site, and then let them back off of the job site.
Our forms for our poured walls will easily accept windows, doors, utility penetrations, beam pockets and as much structural steel that is needed to ensure that structural integrity is accomplished. An old adage of the concrete industry says “concrete construction is limited only in our ability to form more creatively and correctly”. The versatility of our forms ensures that any angle or dimension can be accomplished. Most people are surprised to learn how much we can do with these forms.
