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CFA Announces Call for Entries for 2008 Basement of the Year Awards

CFA Announces Call for Entries for 2008 Basement of the Year Awards
Mt. Vernon, Iowa (November 5, 2007) -- The Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) – an influential organization within the construction industry that serves as an informational and networking tool for its members and carries out a multitude of educational and promotional efforts for the advancement of concrete foundation technology – has announced the call for entries for the 2008 Basement of the Year Award.

According to Ed Sauter, executive director of CFA, the Basement of the Year competition has produced some of the most incredible works of concrete foundation creativity in recent years. Through this program, foundation contractors display the wide range of projects that are being completed today, some of which are unbelievable and largely unrecognized because they inevitably are buried beneath the final grade. The technological advancements that have been made in the poured wall industry allow contractors to complete complex projects more efficiently, which helps ensure homeowners’ dreams are realized, said Sauter.

“Each year the projects submitted to this competition get more complicated and demonstrate the diversity afforded through poured wall foundations,” said Sauter.

The winners of the 2007 competition capped the largest crop of submitted projects ever for the CFA. They also represented the broadest geographical diversity ranging from California to South Carolina and the broadest application range from medium- and large-sized homes to commercial and above-grade structures. The winning entries from last year can be viewed on the CFA website at www.cfawalls.org by selecting CFA Awards from the menu. This link will also provide access to the entry form and requirements for this year’s competition.

To enter a project in this year’s competition, you must be a CFA Contractor member. Non-members do not qualify for the awards program. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 16, 2007.

This year continues the recent success for the CFA in expanding the program to address the many categories of project development that exists throughout the association experience. This year’s award categories include:

Single Family < 2,000 sq.ft.
Single Family 2,000 to 5,000 sq.ft.
Single Family > 5,000 sq.ft.
Commercial / Multi-Family
Non-Wall Structural Element
Above-Grade Home
Judging will be based upon many qualifications including the advancement of the use of concrete foundation technology. Attention to significant footing details, outstanding wall features, such as curved walls, columns, complex corners, etc., and the overcoming of any complexities or challenges along the way are all basis for consideration. Judges will also look for any special materials used or new and innovative advancements. The competition will be judged using a combination tally of input from the CFA’s website and the CFA booth (N2027) during the World of Concrete in Las Vegas, Jan. 22-25, 2007 in Las Vegas. Free registration to the World of Concrete can be obtained from the CFA website.

The rules and categories for submission can be found on the CFA website at http://www.cfawalls.org/awards/basement/index.htm.


About the CFA
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) provides promotional materials, educational seminars, networking opportunities, and technical and informative meetings for its members. The CFA also publishes a newsletter to keep its members abreast of important developments in the industry and to inform them of progress on board activities and committees.

The CFA has members in 26 states and Canada. Members consist primarily of foundation contractors with firm sizes ranging from six to over 100 employees. Member firms construct anywhere from twelve to 1,200 basements annually.

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Removing concrete forms from short retaining wall. The aluminum forms have a block texture on the face and are manufactured by Wall-Ties & Forms, Inc.

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The Concrete Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction

Here is a link to The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction -American Concrete Institute, American Society of Concrete Contractors - 2005

North Carolina Company Builds Concrete Storm-Resistant Homes

Some Gulf Coast residents are preparing for future hurricane seasons by rebuilding with the help of a North Carolina company that specializes in storm-resistant homes.

Security Building Group LLC, a Sneads Ferry, N.C. company, specializes in building Atlantic Coast homes of concrete using removable, reusable alumminum concrete forms, elevated on concrete pilings.

John Watts, a dentist, is rebuilding his waterfront home in Bayou View which he lost to Katrina. Watts said he found the company after researching ways to effectively rebuild.

"Dr. Watts tracked me down and initially asked if I would come down and build him a house," said David Pfanmiller, managing partner with Security Building. "I said no. Just economically, there was no way I could. But based on his persistence, we came down and took a look at this market."

The company now has another house, plus two in the design phase and two in the "discussion phase," Pfanmiller said. "We've had two informational seminars in Dr. Watts' lobby. At the last one, we had 75 people show up."

Watts' home is elevated nearly 19 feet on concrete pilings that are driven 40 feet below the ground.

Watts figured another Katrina-level hurricane would leave him ripping out some cabinets and drying and cleaning up instead of having to start over.

Watts said this type construction costs about 15-20 percent more than wood frame construction but he thinks he'll make up at least that amount quickly in reduced utility and insurance costs.

"I think it will pay for itself. I'd rather pay the money toward the mortgage and equity than give it to insurance. In the long run, this house may only be break-even along those lines," Watts said.

Top 10 Myths in Concrete Construction

Myths and misconceptions are rampant in the concrete construction business. After a while, some of these myths take on a life of their own and everyone starts to take them for granted. In this article, we take a revealing look at ten popular, but completely wrong, myths that still make the rounds in concrete construction.

Myth 1: Adding water to the mix is the only way to increase slump.

Fact: There are other, more effective ways to increase concrete slump besides adding more water.

Adding excessive amounts of water at the jobsite will increase slump, but will also reduce strength significantly. The added water dilutes the paste and increases the water-to-cementitious materials ratio (w/cm). Too much water can also reduce concrete's resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, increase drying shrinkage, and lead to other service-related problems.

ASTM C 94 “Specification for Ready Mixed Concrete” and ACI 301 “Specifications for Structural Concrete,” state that when a load of concrete does not have adequate workability, water may be added to increase the workability of the concrete provided that the maximum slump and w/cm have not been exceeded. As a rule of thumb, adding 1 gallon of water to a cubic yard of concrete will increase the slump about 1 inch. The proper way to add water on-site is to hold back a specific amount of water from the mix and record the amount withheld on the batch ticket. That amount of water can then be added on-site and you can be assured that the concrete still meets the w/cm.

Many specifications forbid any onsite addition of water. Even so, there are other ways to increase the slump and workability of concrete. Aggregate gradation and the maximum size of the aggregate both greatly influence cement and water requirements, which affect mix workability. Water reducers and superplasticizers can also be used to increase the slump while maintaining the water-to-cement ratio. And air-entrainment can increase workability. Adding water to a mix that contains chemical admixtures will change the properties of the mix and can cause excessive slump loss, inconsistent setting, and changes in air content.

Myth 2: Specify a concrete mix by the number of bags of cement.

Fact: Mixes should be specified based on performance requirements, not just cement content.

Some in the concrete business still call out concrete mixes based on the number of bags of cement (a 6-bag mix, or a 7-bag mix), but bag counts don't accurately describe the desired properties of the concrete. Although most cement today is delivered to the ready-mix producer in bulk, portland cement can still be measured as if it came in 94-pound bags, the traditional standard, in accordance with ASTM C 150 “Standard Specification for Portland Cement.” But how much cement is necessary to get high-quality concrete? It depends on the intended use. To maintain economy and avoid adverse effects on workability, shrinkage, and internal temperature rise, high cement contents should be avoided. Minimum cement contents are often specified to improve durability, finishability, wear resistance, or appearance (of vertical surfaces). The most important property of concrete starts with the water-to-cementitious materials ratio.

Knowing the truth helps employees do the job right the first time


Myth 3: Concrete is impermeable.

Fact: Even the densest concrete is somewhat porous.

Water and other substances in liquid or vapor form can pass through concrete. Depending on the overall porosity of the concrete, that can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few months. Concrete can be made less permeable and more watertight by using mix designs with a low w/cm, well-graded aggregate, chemical admixtures such as superplasticizers, and supplementary cementing materials such as silica fume or fly ash. Surface treatments, like sealers and membranes, may also be considered.

Myth 4: The higher the concrete's strength, the more durable the concrete.

Fact: Compressive strength alone does not determine the concrete's durability.

Although compressive strength is an important characteristic of concrete, other qualities can be even more important for concrete durability in harsh environments. In general, the principal causes for deterioration in concrete are corrosion of reinforcing steel, exposure to freeze-thaw cycles, alkali-silica reaction, and sulfate attack. Reducing permeability is the key to durability.

Myth 5: Calcium chloride is an antifreeze agent.

Fact: Calcium chloride is an accelerator only and not an antifreeze.

Accelerators speed up the rate of hydration and strength development of concrete at early ages. Fresh concrete, however, still needs protection from freezing at least until the concrete reaches a minimum strength of 500 psi. Without that initial protection, concrete that freezes will have significantly reduced strength. To avoid cold weather placement problems, make sure the concrete is properly protected and that it's temperature is maintained, following the guidance provided in ACI 306 “Cold Weather Concreting.”

Myth 6: Concrete can be placed on frozen ground without any precautions.

Fact: Precautions must be taken to protect concrete and prevent future soil problems in adverse weather conditions.

Concrete placed on a frozen subgrade may settle unevenly when the subgrade thaws, leading to cracking. The difference in temperature between the frozen soil and the warm concrete can also cause rapid cooling of the concrete and retard the rate of hardening. Ideally, the soil temperature should be as close as possible to the concrete temperature when placed. There are methods available to thaw the ground and allow the placement of concrete, including curing blankets and hydronic heating systems.

Myth 7: No bleed water and a successful “footprint” test mean a “thumbs up” for concrete finishing.

Fact: There is no absolute rule of thumb to determine proper finishing time.

Improper finishing can cause surface defects like blistering, dusting, crazing, and delaminating. It takes experience to know when to begin finishing operations. Relying on the old rule of thumb of a ¼-inch footprint indentation for walk-behind and riding power trowels may not always apply, especially given different mix designs, weather conditions, and finishing tools. Relying on the absence of a sheen of water on the surface to determine when bleeding has stopped may also not be good enough. Depending on the concrete properties and environment, bleeding may still be occurring even though it isn't visible. Bleeding must be completed for the entire slab thickness before finishing operations can begin. Choosing the appropriate time to begin finishing operations takes good judgment and knowledge of the materials being used. The timing can change based on weather conditions, mix designs, placement rates, and a variety of other issues. Experienced finishers know this and take all those factors into account.

Myth 8: Concrete that is flat and level after placing and finishing will remain flat and level.

Fact: Concrete will change in volume while setting, hardening, and drying.

Curling of slab edges is caused by differences in the moisture content and temperature of the top and bottom of the slab. The edges of slabs at the joints tend to curl upward when the top surface of the slab is drier or cooler than the bottom surface. A “reverse curl” occurs when the top surface is wetter or warmer than the bottom. Curling can be reduced by using techniques that minimize shrinkage differentials and the temperature and moisture-related volume changes that cause them.

Myth 9: Reinforced concrete won't crack.

Fact: Structural reinforcement does not prevent concrete from cracking due to volume change.

Concrete that is restrained from moving during volume changes may crack, since concrete is weak in tension. Many times, reinforcing steel actually causes the restraint. Structural reinforcement does not prevent cracking, but rather it holds the crack faces together. When concrete cracks, the tensile stress is transferred from the concrete to the steel, which is what allows reinforced concrete to withstand higher tensile loads than concrete alone.

Myth 10: Curing concrete means letting it dry.

Fact: Concrete needs water to continue to hydrate and gain strength.

Concrete does not harden by drying out. As long as there is sufficient moisture and favorable temperatures, the hydration of concrete will continue for quite some time. When fresh concrete does dry out (usually below about 80% relative humidity), hydration stops. If the temperature of fresh concrete approaches freezing (below 40°F), hydration slows dramatically. The need to provide moisture and an adequate temperature immediately after placement is why we cure concrete. The longer you cure concrete, the stronger and more durable it will become.


BY Michelle L. Wilson and David F. Ey


Michelle L. Wilson is program manager and David F. Ey is concrete engineer, both in the Education and Product Development department at the Portland Cement Association , Skokie, Ill.

Concrete Forming Contractors Resource

The Concrete Foundation Association is a great source of information for the Concrete Forms contractor. The information below is from their website.

The CFA produces a variety of promotional and technical literature as well as providing the key industry resources available on residential concrete foundations. Concrete contractors, designers, builders, inspectors and owners frequently order literature supporting or describing the issues they are facing. CFA literature has also become the cornerstones of successful marketing programs for many CFA Member companies. Be sure to consider adding to your library today. All of these materials are available for purchase by clicking on the title and filling out the online order form or by downloading the printable PDF order form and faxing it to us.

Lower Level Living
Turning a concrete basement into lower level living holds tremendous potential for any home. The Lower Level Living brochure provides builders and homeowners with important information needed to consider building below. It is a great addition to any poured wall contractor’s resources.

Eleven Reasons Why
This brochure provides homeowners with eleven good reasons, from water tightness to better re-sale value, to choose poured concrete walls as the foundation for their next home.

Solid Concrete Walls…
Cast-in-place concrete is the solution to today’s foundation, and this brochure provides you with the facts to prove it. Solid Concrete Walls… provides study results that conclude when it comes to below grade construction, hollow core block just doesn’t stack up to poured concrete.

Cracks in Concrete Walls
One of the most common concerns of poured concrete walls is cracks. Provide homeowners with a brochure that explains what causes cracks, crack types, how they can be reduced, and when a homeowner should be concerned. Cracks in Concrete Walls is an informational brochure that all homeowners should receive when they move into their new home.

What do You do with the Wall When I Leave?
What do You do with the Wall When I Leave? serves as a reminder to the homebuilder of ways to ensure a trouble-free basement Is delivered to the homeowner. Topics include: grading/compaction, drainage, foundation support during a backfill, and waterproofing.

Build It For The Future
With so many variables in the construction process, it’s nice to know you can count on a ready-to-build-on foundation – with guaranteed workmanship at a guaranteed price. Build It For The Future explains to homeowners that a poured foundation provides more living space, room to grow, storage area, and is twice the space for half the cost.

More Living Space
Homeowners are continuously looking for additional living space… the More Living Space brochure encourages them to look below.

ACI 332R-84 – Guide to Residential Cast-In-Place Concrete Construction
The quality of residential concrete is highly dependent on the quality of job construction practices. This guide presents good practices for the construction of foundations, footings, walls, and exterior and interior slabs-on-grade.

PCA – CD026 – Thermal Performance Comparisons of Wall Systems
Concrete Facts
Published six times a year, Concrete Facts, is a trade association magazine filled with up-to-date information about the CFA, its members, and the cast-in-place construction industry.

Spanish Pocket Dictionary
Learn Spanish terms most commonly used on construction products. The Spanish Pocket Dictionary is a 120-page book, small enough to stick in your back pocket before heading for a jobsite.

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Cast-in-place Forming

A good portion of concrete contractors offer cast-in-place concrete work in their lineup of services, whether they're building foundations, single-family homes or commercial buildings. Contractors are typically utilizing either wood panel systems or aluminum forms for residential and light commercial jobs. There are many options to choose from within each concrete forming system, and recent advancements and technologies offer contractors material and time savings.

Plywood concrete forming panels

Concrete contractors use plywood panel formwork on cast-in-place commercial and residential jobs. In the residential sector you'll see a good portion of foundation contractors constructing job-built formwork, while others utilize prefabricated systems with plywood faces and wood or aluminum stringers, or steel or aluminum modular systems skinned with plywood. Plywood is also utilized on all sizes of commercial projects, like office buildings, high-rise structures and parking garages. Many contractors utilize raw plywood panels, or BB plywood, which is available in a variety of thicknesses and comes oiled and edge-sealed. Industry statistics report that formwork - including materials, labor and finishing - accounts for roughly half of the cost of installed concrete. A growing number of contractors seeking to lower the costs associated with materials, labor and finishing on their projects are choosing to utilize plywood panels that include an overlay of resin-impregnated Kraft paper instead of the raw BB plywood panels. The overlays lend additional features to the panels that help a contractor save time and money.

The overriding benefit of overlaid plywood is an increased number of pours from each panel. Number of pours varies greatly between the different types of overlays, from manufacturer to manufacturer, and is dependent on how carefully a contractor cares for his panels. There are several types of overlays available, the most common being medium density overlay (MDO), high density overlay (HDO) and phenolic surface film (PSF). Generally speaking, a piece of raw BB plywood will give you up to five pours. With the addition of an MDO a contractor could expect 10 to 15 pours per panel; with an HDO, depending on the manufacturer and application, you will typically get between 25 and 50 pours, and in some cases up to 200. A PSF panel would give you a number of reuses similar to that of an HDO. "Costs do increase with the addition of the overlays," says Lester Pernu, business manager with Dynea Overlays, "but you're still going to save a lot of money on the working side when you can reuse them in your concrete pours."
In addition to the benefits of multiple pours, overlaid panels can offer savings on labor and materials. "An overlaid panel would take far less form release material applied to it, whereas a BB raw wood you would have to oil it fairly heavily and it would absorb much more of the form release, so there would be a savings in the amount of form release agent that you would need to apply to the panels and also a savings in labor to apply the form release to the panels," says Mark Sutherland, sales manager with Ainsworth, a manufacturer of specialty overlaid concrete-forming plywood.

Another added benefit of an overlay system is it imparts a neater finish on the surface of the finished concrete than a BB panel does. "The concrete surface that's left after you strip the panels away from the building or project you're working on with an overlaid panel is going to be much smoother, more uniform in color, and have less grain transfer coming through to the concrete surface," Sutherland says. "There would be less back-end work doing remedial repairs on both the plywood and the concrete surface, which again translates into labor savings."
Because of the many options available in the overlaid plywood market, Pernu emphasizes the importance of communication between contractors and the overlay plywood panel suppliers.

"When a concrete contractor is talking to an overlay plywood panel supplier and they want to buy a lift of a certain kind of panel, it's important that they discuss the correct questions with the supplier of that overlay so the supplier can give him the panel he needs for that job. Some of these questions to discuss can be as simple as 'What kind of finish would you like on this panel?' or 'How many pours do you expect?'" he says. "Plywood is not plywood - it's quite variable depending on the panel construction, wood species, type of overlay and your expectations in using it - everyone should be satisfied, and asking questions about the job is really a good way to achieve that." With recent increased use of blast furnace slag and fly ash mixes, manufacturers have developed overlays that are more resistant to these high-alkali concretes. If you're working on a project that specifies a high-alkali mix, talk with your overlay plywood panel supplier to ensure you get a panel that will stand up to the mix.

In recent months a new technology in overlaid plywood hit the industry with the introduction of the polymer composite MCO (Maxam Composite Overlay) from Maxam Industries. Maxam president Steven Maimon says MCO doesn't require the use of release agents, is resistant to high-alkali mixes, and is LEED compliant and recyclable. "MCO will provide the same finish on the 100th or 200th pour as it does on the first," he adds.
Maimon says that in addition to the cost savings associated with eliminating the need for release agents, there are added safety benefits. "If you're pouring a horizontal table, it's going to be safer for the crew to walk on that floor and not have to worry about slipping," he says. "You also don't have oil or release agents on your form so you don't have to worry about contaminating any rebar structures that you may have on there."

Concrete contractors can order MCO factory-applied to a plywood substrate or on Maxam's Futura panel, a structural lightweight composite alternative that does not use any wood. "Futura is ½ in. thick and has about half the weight but the same strength as a ¾-in. structural plywood panel," Maimon says. "MCO also is available as a peel-and-apply facing for contractors to refurbish their existing plywood, aluminum and steel forms."
In addition, Maxam offers a polymer rubber composite overlay product called MCO/FLEX, which is intended for limited pours and doesn't require release agents. It's available in rolls up to 10 ft. by 200 ft. and is designed for forming complex shapes and seamless finishes.

Aluminum concrete forming systems

Prefabricated aluminum concrete forming systems come in a range of widths and heights, typically up to 10 ft. in height and up to 3 ft. in width for forms used in residential applications. Gang forms, large stretches of panels hooked together or just one large panel, are available for more efficiently pouring long stretches of wall. Specialty concrete forms can be used to achieve certain shapes, imprint a design into the concrete or accommodate architectural elements. Aluminum Forms customized to a certain niche in the concrete market are also available. Charles Engelken president of Wall Ties & Forms, says the ability to easily shape aluminum has allowed his company to offer customers forming systems unique to their industries. "Essentially we're a mass customizer of concrete forms," Engelken says. "There's standard equipment, but with 95 percent of our customers there's a certain type of customization to that industry. The concrete forms that go to the swimming pool industry are different than the ones that go to the foundation industry; forms that go to the housing industry for above-grade homes are different than the foundation forms; and agricultural forms are different. There might not be gigantic differences, but they're always differences that give concrete contractors a better finished product and can also save them labor in the setting of concrete forms."

Aluminum forms offer an impressive reuse life. "Aluminum forms are more expensive than other systems up front, but can last for up to 3,000 or more pours. A normal life would be anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 reuses," says Phil Fearnow, vice president of sales with Durand Forms. Fearnow adds that contractors who don't take care of their forms won't get the maximum use potential out of them. Owners need to avoid mistreating their concrete forms, and should apply release agents on the forms before each pour to avoid concrete buildup. Fearnow says concrete contractors should also remove any excess concrete that's on the side rails or on the forms themselves after they're stripped from a wall.

When considering aluminum concrete forming systems, contractors need to closely examine their businesses and decide whether they're doing enough work to make up for the up front costs. "We think they should be pouring 50 to 75 foundations a year to really look at the cost of aluminum," Fearnow says. "You really have to look at the type of market you're in because there are markets where a guy could use the forms 10 times and the aluminum would make sense," Engelken adds. Larger aluminum forms, as with other forming systems, need to be set with a crane, but there are some sizes that can be set either with a boom truck or by hand. The use of a boom truck rests with the contractor and whether or not he feels he's doing enough work to make up for the cost of the truck. "There are contractors who like the boom trucks because they are a lot faster in moving forms in and out of a foundation and you can set them down in place; other people use roll-offs, trailers or modified trucks where they put on their own racking design. The boom truck is really the less labor-intensive system to use," Fearnow says. Manufacturers in the industry have recently introduced aluminum form systems that are lighter weight, adjustable in the field and have fewer parts for more efficient setup and stripping. Aluminum forming panels that impart a brick or stone pattern onto the finished wall have been available for years, but recently manufacturers have started introducing more patterns to choose from. These systems can be used in conjunction with the smooth-face panels to achieve different surfaces on either side of the wall. Engelken says he expects much more in the way of advancements in the aluminum forming system in the coming years. "One thing I can say about the aluminum concrete forming market is even though it's 50 years old, I believe it's still in its infancy."

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