basement?

dmy hvac

i am a refrigeration contractor.i am having a house built this spring.ive gotten prices on all styles of cellars block,poured and pre cast walls by superior.i am really impressed with the pre cast walls by superior, ive been in alot of basements in my day but no pre cast.the house is gonna be a raised ranch and i plan on finishing basement off eventually.i know this is not a heating question but i know that we all have spent more time in basements than probably any other profession.anyone seen or heard any good or bad things about these pre cast walls or any advice or prefrences on type of basement you would use?any advice is greatly appreciated!!!the pre cast walls were also less expensive than the other 2.

Ed_26

basement

Best I have seen are "ICF". - Styrofoam blocks that are poured full of cement. I have seen complete houses built from ICF & very tight, very efficient. IMHO the best way to go.

Scram Bulleggs

ICF walls

are an electricians nightmare. I saw you talked about finishing it in the future. Something to think about.

Dave_4

I built homes for a few years and used the Superior Walls on every one. I wish I would have used them on my house 12 years ago, although the ICFs are really nice too. Never had any experience with them.

Rob

kevin coppinger_4

ICF 's are great...

The AMVIC brand is the ones I have used...wiring is not a big deal...hot knife and a electric chain saw makes it a snap...kpc

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Unknown

I did the plumbing

in a house not long ago with ICF, the electricians said they liked-it, posed no-probs for me. It was ARXX.

Dave

james k

superior wall

Just a testimony for superior walls. I live in the hudson valley, where we just got 4-6 inches of rain, basement is bone dry. Many others are not so lucky, drove by a mc mansion the other day, newish house (built within the last 5 years maybe),big gas fired pump outside basement window. Owners can not be happy! Anyway back to mine, Built about a 1 1/2 years ago, as of yet still trying to scrape up money for gutters, and due to the topography the ground in back slopes toward the house, two BIG no-no's for basements, still dry as a bone. First thing monday morning I went down, and breathed a sigh of relief. If you use superior walls, make sure you get the "builders guidelines" book.

dmy hvac

shifting settling

anyone experience alot of settling with the superior pre cast walls? since they do not use a footer.thanks for all your comments looks like ill be probably going with the superior walls. great to get some unbiased opinions!thank you for any future comments they are greatly appreciated!

lee_9

Basement slab holds base of walls from being pushed in. and ground holds from being pushed out.

Paul_11

I AM USING ICF ON MY NEW HOUSE

I'm building a house and using Polysteel ICF. I like the idea of a metal stud inside.

Superior walls have some insulation but not at much as the 5" on ICF. Sometimes, ICF buildings are the only buildings left standing in severe earthquake or hurricane areas after a big one.

Respectfully,

Paul B. Shay
pshay@arealgoodplumber.com
LMP 1307
LMFS 654B
OUR MISSION: TO PROVIDE WORLD CLASS PLUMBING, HEATING, AND SPRINKLER SERVICE TO EACH AND EVERY CLIENT WE SERVE, FAR EXCEEDING THEIR HIGHEST EXPECTATIONS!

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Scram Bulleggs

How

How are they attaching there boxes to the walls if you remember? We were the first to do a home with this in the area and were kind of the test for teh builder. It was his own home and he did the basement and the first floor with it.

We did the plumbing and the electric in the house. The plumbing was kind of interesting as it was the first time i used a hot knife. The electric was a nightmare as the code enforcer made us use conduit and attach J boxes to the cement. Much much more time consuming then Superior walls we have done.

Paul_11

Polysteel has metal studs every 16\"

Polysteel has metal studs every 16", 1/2" below the surface of the insulation. You can screw your electrical boxes to them or just use a hot knife to cut a hole and use foam to glue your box in. The local codes in PA allows that and Romex 1/2" below the surface of the foam.

It is unfortunate an inspector made you use conduit. Would he allow romex or BX in wood or metal walls?

Respectfully,

Paul B. Shay
pshay@arealgoodplumber.com
LMP 1307
LMFS 654B
OUR MISSION: TO PROVIDE WORLD CLASS PLUMBING, HEATING, AND SPRINKLER SERVICE TO EACH AND EVERY CLIENT WE SERVE, FAR EXCEEDING THEIR HIGHEST EXPECTATIONS!

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"