Respectfully, the gravel is the sub-footer. There is a (bottom bond-beam) on the bottom of the wall that serves as a footer plate. The gravel is the item used to transfer the load to the soil just as the conventional footer does. As long as there is sufficient soil properties (2000psf) the load of the house will be carried down to the soil without any concern.

I appreciate your thoughts on whether or not it’s as good as a solid concrete wall. I had the same feelings when I first started using precast walls. The truth is, if you don’t feel comfortable using a particular product, you really shouldn’t be using it. Murphy’s Law teaches us that if we don’t have a sufficient amount of information, we automatically don’t like it, ultimately, we will find as much wrong with it as possible.

Water mitigation should be a priority with any basement / foundation system. Superior Walls will require a sub-pump system if it’s a ‘walk-up’ (total in ground). If it’s a ‘walk out’ on the back or side of the house we will require drain tile out to day light. Here in NC we require at least 6” to 8” of gravel with a 4” drain tile around the complete foot-print of the house.

The Dept of Insurance, deems it a necessity, that ‘ALL’ basements be coated. Superior Walls is not to be exempt even though we don’t agree with their discussion. Again, out of respect for their authority, we try to encourage our customers to apply the least expensive method of covering their walls. Ultimately, if there is a problem, we are the first people they call anyway.

Please Note: ‘Waterproofing’ is a term that Superior Walls of America does not feel comfortable with. However, Superior Walls of North Carolina does promote the term, and will stand behind it. To clarify, we guarantee ‘side-wall water penetration’; yes the joints are caulked with a life time product that Bostik Corp provides and the 5000 psi concrete mix design is recorded by a 3^rd party inspection firm and inspected by a PCI approved agency. The wall joints and concrete strength are guaranteed under SW of NC’s umbrella.

The guarantee is Lifetime – non-transferable. 15 years – transferable.

The reassurance of that promise lies totally on the unbelievable success rate of the more than 90,000 units put in the ground since 1981.

Because I’m a realist, I would like to add that Superior Walls is not a perfect product, like all construction products on the market we need to be constantly educating ourselves and making sure they are tested and monitored to provide the best service for the customer. I will always appreciate those who look at Superior Walls as an inferior product. At one time I was one of them. For the past 8 years I’ve learned the difference between assuming and really knowing.  

If you have any further concerns or questions, please feel free to contact me, any time. rmusso@superiorwallsnc.com

Waterproofing

You are correct, North Carolina State of Building Inspections do require waterproofing. They receive their instructions from the State Dept of Insurance who ultimately is the ‘God Father’ of the building & fire codes.

Superior Walls respectfully honors their authority by telling their customers to always check with their local code Inspection office to make sure that they are in compliance with their local county code. Unfortunately each county municipality and each individual code official interprets the waterproofing / dampproofing guidelines a little differently with low and high water tables all across the state.

In any case, Superior Walls of North Carolina will honor their ‘Limited Lifetime Warranty’ non-transferable, 15 years transferable, for side wall water penetration and structural integrity of the 5,000 psi concrete mix design. Regardless of coating materials used or not, if there is a penetration of water or moisture, Superior Walls will be on call to help mitigate the issues at hand and try to help rectify the problem with as minimum inconvenience as possible.

Please note that there are over 90,000 projects since 1981 that in are in the majority of not being coated with any special waterproof material. That is not to say they are all perfectly installed. Like all product systems in construction, they have their isolated problems, but the percentage rate of success with using Superior Walls is amazingly high. Obviously, your professional opinion is one that some share, that’s the remarkable thing about our industry; it’s built on many different ideas all working to provide a better way of life for our customers, our families and our futures.

At the end of the day, you must do what you think is best.

RE: R-values & gravel

From my prospective the most interesting thing about the difference between Superior Walls and ICF’s is preference. It simply depends on the individual using the product. Both systems work. On record, both have a very high and long success rate of return on investment. Which frankly, isn’t that what’s most important?

The insulation R-value for Superior Walls Xi product is 16. But as any builder knows ultimately what’s most important is not R-value, but in fact, inside to outside air transfer ratios. If you have a guaranteed zero air transfer, your R-values may rate as high as 40, 50 or more.

Superior Walls are cast in a quality controlled production facility. Not outside. The 5000 psi certified concrete is poured directly to the Styrofoam Blue Board which is a registered trademark of Dow Chemicals and is bonded to it as a complete unit. When the panels are erected and joined together the seams are sealed and bonded together with another registered trademarked product, Bostik Chem-calk 915. One bead of caulk in the middle as the walls go together, again on the inside, and than lastly a bead on the outside to give complete insurance that they will not leak water, or air. The fact is their air transfer propertied are at zero. Which means once the walls are set you could accentually paint the outside, and drywall the inside and have an unusually high R-value concrete home, as long as the ceilings, flooring, windows and doors are sealed properly.

Realistically, there are very few products on the market that can accomplish such a task in such a very short period of time, making it an extremely attractive product to most owner/builders.  

Gravel;

As far as gravel is concerned, understanding soil properties is paramount. If there’s gravel, there is minimal to zero chance of any underground hydrostatic pressures because the gravel is the vehicle that helps relieve it.

To illuminate hydrostatic pressure ultimately makes erosion issues a thing of the past. The railroad system has used the same methodology since the 1700’s. Superior Walls has adopted and embraced that same method from conception in 1981.

Gravel also has a tremendous ability to evenly distribute the weight of a house foundation or a 400 ton locomotive and carrying it down to the soil.

Here in North Carolina the code requires the soil to be at least 2,000 pcf (lbs per cubic foot). If it’s not at least 2,000 pcf than one of two things can be done, the bad soil needs to be removed and placed with good soil and packed in 8” lifts which is usually more expensive, or just replace the bad soil with gravel.

It’s always important to remember, that gravel doesn’t settle, soil does.