Frequently Asked Questions

What is involved with pouring foundation walls?

For a foundation, once the hole is dug for the basement or crawl space by the excavator, our crew comes in and digs in the footing and sets the footing boards based on the specs from the prints. The footing is the 8” x 16” support that your actual wall will set on. We then have the footing inspected by the local building inspector, as required in most areas. After the inspection, we pour the footing and leave it to cure for the day. This sometimes takes place all in one day but may take two days depending on the size of the footing and the inspector’s schedule.

The day after the footing is poured, our crew comes back in to start setting our aluminum wall panels on the footing. This process generally takes 3-4 days or so, again depending on the size of the house. Once the panels are all set, we run double checks of all measurements and square it up before we begin pouring. We generally schedule our pours for early morning, because the actual receiving of the concrete and the leveling process takes several hours. Once the concrete is all in place, we leave it to cure for 1-2 days depending on the weather conditions.

Our crew will then come back and remove our forms from the wall and call for waterproofing or damp-proofing, which usually takes place by our hired waterproofer within 1-2 days. Once the waterproofing/damp-proofing is complete the contractor/individual can call the local building inspector for their foundation inspection. We recommend that poured walls cure for 7-10 days (depending on weather conditions) before the excavator back fills the foundation, as the concrete is too fresh and can bow or crack if pressure is put on the concrete during this critical time. The contractor/individual may also want to brace the walls prior to back filling for extra support.

I need a paved driveway. What can I expect?

Our crew comes in and finishes prepping the fill sand that the concrete will be poured upon. Depending on the project, sometimes we are clearing the topsoil and/or importing fill and sometimes this is done by another excavator ahead of time. We compact the soil to reduce the chances of any concrete movement. We then place whatever form boards are needed. The prep and forming process usually takes one day and then we pour the second day. The crew would come back the third day and remove any forms, cut in any expansion joints that are needed, and seal the concrete with a cure & seal product. The concrete can be walked on usually the second day after the day of the pour, but we recommend not driving on it for at least 14 days, longer if possible.

It takes concrete roughly 28 days to cure and harden. Virtually all concrete will crack at some point and a pencil tip thickness sized crack is completely within industry standard and is not cause for alarm. The key is to control the cracking with preventative measures that guide the cracking. We do warranty our concrete work for 1 year and we recommend you maintain your concrete with sealers. For more details, please see our warranty agreement.