SUPERIOR WALL foundations?? (1 Viewer)

[kevin_tomb]

I built a house about 3 years ago and used the preformed SUPERIOR WALL foundations. Im very happy with them especially the insulation value and how easy it was to finish the basement with drywall, electric runs etc. MY only concern seems to be: there are several small cracks on the exterior of the wall surfaces. They arent huge cracks sorta just hairline cracks. They never seem to change size either. Im sorta just worried that maybe they will lead to problems eventually years down the road. Do any of you guys have the same problems??.....like I said I love the walls, just am a bit worried...

Kevin

 

[Denward]

Are they styrofoam molds filled with poured concrete that I've seen on some home shows? If so, I doubt that the exterior surface has any structural effect.

If it's cosmetics you're worried about, I would just keep any eye on the cracks and if they started getting bigger, fill 'em up with some sort of concrete patching compound. If you're not in an area that freezes, the cracks probably won't do any more. All houses have some settling and a few small cracks are nothing to worry about.

 

[kevin_tomb]

No these walls are made at a cement plant and transported in sections of 16ft. maximum length by truck and erected by crane. They have a 2" thick outer wall with rebar reinforced "cement studs" that kinda look like 2x8s. The entire inner area is covered with a 1 inch layer of styrofoam insulation./

 

[BrianW]

Hairline cracks in the surface of concrete are not only normal, but expected, and pose no structural threat. Such cracks are caused by uneven moisture loss/retention which affects shrinkage during the curing process. And the curing process in concrete, though 90% done after 24 hours for most mixes, almost never really ends. Curing stress can cause surface cracks to appear even years after the concrete was originally poured. When discussing cracks in concrete, I had a concrete guy tell me that the absolutely best weather conditions in which to pour a concrete driveway would be "seventy degrees, with snow flurries."

Don't worry. Just check them every few months to make sure they're not anything more than hairline surface cracks.