The dirt work is finished and the form boards are set up. An engineer has signed off on the post tension cables that are now in place. That means it’s time to pour your foundation! This is an exciting step in your home building journey and is truly the first time you’ll be able to see the footprint of your home. It isn’t as simple as pouring in a truck load of concrete, though. During the pouring process, the team is busy working on several different tasks to ensure the durability and performance of your home’s foundation. 

Here's what you can expect during the foundation pouring process.

If you elect to go watch the magic happen, you may first notice someone walking around your foundation controlling and maneuvering the pump that’s injecting the concrete into the form boards already in place. This person’s job is pivotal as they’re tasked with ensuring the concrete reaches every nook and cranny inside the forms and beams. There are also people busy raking the concrete to help spread it and vibrating it all the way through to guarantee the concrete has fully filled the intended areas and there are no air pockets. This is also when workers will place j-bolts around the perimeter of the foundation. These will be bolted to your toe plate, anchoring it to your foundation. 

The workers tasked with finishing, smoothing out, and leveling your concrete use a variety of tools and techniques to get the job done. A trowel is used around the perimeter and j-bolts while a screed, a leveling tool, is dragged across the top of the concrete. The people working the screed use a system of wooden boards, or grade stakes, with specific markings on them to ensure the foundation is level in every location. 

About seven to ten days after the concrete has been poured, workers will come back out and apply up to 30,000 psi of tension to the cables inlaid in the foundation. This process couples the tensile strength of steel with the compression strength of concrete, ensuring a strong foundation for your home. The concrete will continue to cure for another three weeks. 

Once all of this is complete, your foundation is ready to support the weight of your new home!

To learn more about Tilson's foundation practices, visit our page dedicated to all things foundation related.