experience with precast (concrete) construction?

[disney]

Looking at building (ok having someone else build) a garage/workshop, and was interested in TBN'ers knowledge of this possible choice. Being in FL wind strength is very important, as is something that termites find unappealing. Block construction with injected insulation is also a possibility.

Superior Wall by Weaver Precast of Florida Products : Overview

As always, thanks for any shared advice

 

[bigtiller]

It looks interesting but sounds like it might be expensive with all the special handling needed. Is it?

 

[Sprinklerman]

I have seen a couple garages done here with poured concrete walls , just like a basement foundation . One the guy used dyed concrete . They went up pretty quick

 

[EddieWalker]

This is very common on warehouses and commercial buildings that do not want to be metal buildings. A lot of CVS and Walgreens are built this way. Or at least the ones I've seen being built are. Back in CA, where I'm from, just about every warehouse was built this way. They set out the forms on the slab, pour, then lift them into place the next day. It goes very quickly. Knowing that these where built for CA earthquake code makes be believe it to be a very strong way of building. I can't say about cost, but as a builder, I've never found anything better or more cost effective then standard stick framing.

 

[not2old]

Don't lift them the next day if trying this yourself. My father witnessed three men die under them when the hooks pulled out. You need to know what you're doing.

 

[disney]

It looks interesting but sounds like it might be expensive with all the special handling needed. Is it?

As with most things that can depend on several factors, but it can be roughly equal in total cost. The installed wall costs more than just block, but since it's already insulated and framed for electrical and drywall you recover the higher wall cost in time and material savings.

When the walls are poured on the floor and then raised they have no insulation, and not what I am after.

After spending some time on the phone, I learned the Orlando plant has closed, and currently no company services FL, so I guess it will have to be block

 

[CADplans]

Tne one wall of my shed is cast concrete,,, I needed a retaining wall to hold the dirt.
The wall is over 60 feet long, and 4 feet high.

A guy gave me his old forms, they were perfect, but, old, that was their last use.
A friend and I set the forms in one day, poured the next, removed the forms the next.

We used a LOT of old motor oil,,, the forms came off easily!! :thumbsup:

Amazingly,, the cast concrete had a VERY nice surface!!

 

[bigtiller]

As with most things that can depend on several factors, but it can be roughly equal in total cost. The installed wall costs more than just block, but since it's already insulated and framed for electrical and drywall you recover the higher wall cost in time and material savings.

When the walls are poured on the floor and then raised they have no insulation, and not what I am after.

After spending some time on the phone, I learned the Orlando plant has closed, and currently no company services FL, so I guess it will have to be block

Have you looked at ICF's (insulated concrete forms)? My basement was made this way and it is one of the warmest basements I have been in. We put stucco on the outside and drywall in the inside.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Have you looked at ICF's (insulated concrete forms)? My basement was made this way and it is one of the warmest basements I have been in. We put stucco on the outside and drywall in the inside.

Hmmm, Florida, high insect load, wonder how ICF's fair?

 

[QRTRHRS]

I was helping a friend with an HVAC/Plumbing/Electrical business for awhile. We finished up some modular homes, including some two story plus attic, on precast concrete foundations. It's been too long to recall the brand. This was in PA. The precast walls were not all that thick in the "field". Imagine a picture frame where the sides were about the normal eight inches and the field maybe three or four with some foam insulation already in place. I want to say that they were set on tamped stone? Not sure because we were in after the modules were set and the basement floor was already poured. The corners were sealed with some kind of industrial grade caulk and bolted together.

I never heard that any of them failed but it was one of those building conventions that was shall we say different?

 

[Cord]

Hmmm, Florida, high insect load, wonder how ICF's fair?

I'm assuming you meant "impact" loads. If so, it holds up exceptionally well. Been doing a bunch of schools in tornado alley with icf's. If icf's can take a direct hit from a tornado they'll stand up to any class 5 hurricane. The roof and truss-wall connection will fail before the wall.

Generally precast is used for industrial because the building needs to be non combustible and the wall heights are excessive. It's difficult to build a 40' tall single wyth masonry wall that can pass ComCheck. Continuous insulation on the inside face will pass, but it's subject to damage. Precast can take a hit from a forklift without damage and it has continuous insulation sandwiched between two layers of durable concrete.

For residential use, the crane costs and trucking will be the limiting factors. Honestly, if I needed a Miami-Dade approved structure, I'd look to CMU or ICF first. If you go insulated CMU look at light weight (105lb) single core blocks with 3/4" webs. Cost is 1/3 more than a standard block, but you'll end up with a wall that's comparable in insulation value to a 2x4 stud wall. The big advantage over ICF is that the exterior does not need to be finished and the interior face does not need to be protected from fire.

 

[MossRoad]

Precast concrete has been around for a long time.

Precast concrete - Wikipedia

But as mentioned, its been primarily for commercial construction. Buildings, schools, hospitals, post offices, etc... not homes. Homes are almost entirely poured on-site with forms, whereas precast is just that. Cast in a factory under controlled conditions to get repeatable, measurable, consistent product, then transported to the building site and erected.

My father was an architect and was a big proponent of precast concrete. There are numerous projects in this area where he used precast panels back in the 70's. Huge advancements have been made since then. Didn't know they were doing it for homes, now.

 

[BigCountry1689]

When we built we did the FoxBlocks (ICF) 8 inch thick rebar every 18 inches. House is built to withstand 210MPH as we are in South Florida and prone to tornadoes. While I love the insulation quality there are a couple issues we have found. #1 with the 3 inch foam on the inside and out is very hard to mount things; i.e T.V's, Hose hangers, Gutter drains, etc... you have to use 5.5' tap cons and if you tighten them to much there goes the stucco. #2 the concrete swells and it has created an issue with the front door and 1 window. But as far as insulation quality, are power bill is around $95 in the summer and $65 in the winter because it is like a yeti cooler. the big issue is making sure when they install that they are completely square and that they fill them at the correct speed. Too fast and they can slip, on the garage side you can see a slight wave where the blocks slipped.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I'm assuming you meant "impact" loads. If so, it holds up exceptionally well. Been doing a bunch of schools in tornado alley with icf's. If icf's can take a direct hit from a tornado they'll stand up to any class 5 hurricane. The roof and truss-wall connection will fail before the wall.

Generally precast is used for industrial because the building needs to be non combustible and the wall heights are excessive. It's difficult to build a 40' tall single wyth masonry wall that can pass ComCheck. Continuous insulation on the inside face will pass, but it's subject to damage. Precast can take a hit from a forklift without damage and it has continuous insulation sandwiched between two layers of durable concrete.

For residential use, the crane costs and trucking will be the limiting factors. Honestly, if I needed a Miami-Dade approved structure, I'd look to CMU or ICF first. If you go insulated CMU look at light weight (105lb) single core blocks with 3/4" webs. Cost is 1/3 more than a standard block, but you'll end up with a wall that's comparable in insulation value to a 2x4 stud wall. The big advantage over ICF is that the exterior does not need to be finished and the interior face does not need to be protected from fire.

I was actually wondering if the foam was subject to degradation from bugs? I do like the concept. At the age of eight I would go to job sites with my carpenter/father. Perhaps in the way often as not, I can attribute that to a lifelong interest in all things building, commercial or not. Anyway, thanks for your imput.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Just put my basement in with superior walls 9 feet tall and my garage frost wall with 4 foot tall walls. Those guys went from a hole to done standing walls in about 5 hours. That was with a new crane operator. Both sizes of walls were pre insulated. I put the sill plates on that afternoon.

 

[sailfast]

Superior walls are great
Spray in place Closed cell foam is a good a option in hurricane areas too. Get better insurance via the wind resistance of a building glued together with foam

 

[Ron50]

I am building a garage/shop now out of EFBlock. These are ICF blocks made from recycled styrafoam ground up and mixed with a cement mixture to form a block 12" high, 10" wide, and five feet long. Termites don't eat or nest in it, fireproof, and many times stronger than wood frame building. These blocks have six sided tunnels in the to form a vertical and horizontal grid 12" on center. Amount of rebar used depends on the height of the wall, and then the blocks are filled with concrete.
Google EFBlock to watch many job site videos.

 

[dstig1]

Our first house was a model house built by a local builder that had tried Superior walls on a few houses. We talked about them a bit. His crews cussed them out something fierce. Getting them set level was an absolute nightmare, he said. But here is the weird part - they set them directly on gravel and not on footings. Why the heck you wouldn't pour level footings first was the part I could not understand. Also I think his crew had to install them as the supplier of the walls did not do that. The local Superior Walls outfit had a habit of going bankrupt periodically, but it looks like the '08 crash finally did them in for good and they closed. Just perhaps some things to ask about if you are considering it more seriously...

 

[MF283]

There's one down the road from us, aggregate walls around 20' tall, always envious of the shop. The guy worked for a precast company for years.
It always looks clean a a whistle, dosen't show dirt or mold like metal structures.

Ronnie