They have been around at least ten years. The technology is pretty simple--make a high-strength concrete panel and set it on a crushed stone footing. I have priced them out on a few occasions, such as building on coastal islands where a concrete truck would have to get barged out, but even then they didn't make financial sense. But the concept is solid.
I'm not buying the crushed stone footing. I have many discussions with older contractors about this. There are no real footings, it's like a lego set tub placed in gravel that could allow a water table to flow through?
Jul 26, 20 2:47 pm ·
·
Wood Guy
What don't you "buy" about them? They are code-compliant. There are millions of old homes built on rubble foundations without concrete footings, including my house's foundation which is still in nearly perfect shape after 190 years.
I've noticed that architects tend to assign undo importance to footings--in almost all cases they are there ONLY to spread the load horizontally, while the wall itself acts like a giant beam to provide the actual structure.
Jul 27, 20 8:41 am ·
·
archanonymous
I've done several projects much larger than a home on rammed aggregate piers, which is essentially just a fancy crushed-stone footing with a concrete cap on the top of it. Not too different than this system.
joint at every panel... water infiltration is only as good as guy doing the sealing...
Why would you use them? Have to answer that question to provide more insight. I like concrete. Any run of the mill concrete guy can do it and I can put multiple layers of spray applied water proofing.
Jul 26, 20 5:34 pm ·
·
Wood Guy
When I've looked into them it's been for projects on coastal islands that would require multiple barges for form trucks to come and go and for multiple concrete trucks. Vs. having precast panels brought over and set with a boom truck. Even on those projects we found the conventional approach to be less expensive. In many places it's hard to find decent concrete contractors.
Superior Walls
Thoughts, concerns? Experience.
https://www.superiorwalls.com/
What is your question?
Looks like a company is trying to sell a proprietary pre-fabbed below grade modular wall system for residential construction.
Questions:
# of successfully completed projects? how old?
Waterproofing details?
Engineering capabilities w/ engineering stamp?
Can they provide wall openings? Pre-glazed / detailed like a facade contractor?
Wall top & bot interface details? Limits on above grade framing systems? i.e. only wood framed?
Warranty, durability, maintenance concerns (i.e. how thick is the face shell concrete? What if shell is punctured?)
good questions, any answers?
They have been around at least ten years. The technology is pretty simple--make a high-strength concrete panel and set it on a crushed stone footing. I have priced them out on a few occasions, such as building on coastal islands where a concrete truck would have to get barged out, but even then they didn't make financial sense. But the concept is solid.
I'm not buying the crushed stone footing. I have many discussions with older contractors about this. There are no real footings, it's like a lego set tub placed in gravel that could allow a water table to flow through?
What don't you "buy" about them? They are code-compliant. There are millions of old homes built on rubble foundations without concrete footings, including my house's foundation which is still in nearly perfect shape after 190 years.
I've noticed that architects tend to assign undo importance to footings--in almost all cases they are there ONLY to spread the load horizontally, while the wall itself acts like a giant beam to provide the actual structure.
I've done several projects much larger than a home on rammed aggregate piers, which is essentially just a fancy crushed-stone footing with a concrete cap on the top of it. Not too different than this system.
joint at every panel... water infiltration is only as good as guy doing the sealing...
Why would you use them? Have to answer that question to provide more insight. I like concrete. Any run of the mill concrete guy can do it and I can put multiple layers of spray applied water proofing.
When I've looked into them it's been for projects on coastal islands that would require multiple barges for form trucks to come and go and for multiple concrete trucks. Vs. having precast panels brought over and set with a boom truck. Even on those projects we found the conventional approach to be less expensive. In many places it's hard to find decent concrete contractors.
has anyone done this in NYC?
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