Poured Concrete Walls
Sudlow Concrete provides the full scope of concrete services from driveway repair and replacement, retaining walls, stone work, masonry and even poured concrete walls.
Poured concrete walls provide a rock-solid foundation for residential homes and can even be used outside the home for retaining wall structures. Whether used for foundations, landscape retention, or design aesthetic, poured concrete walls are a very durable material that will add value to any home.
Benefits of Poured Concrete Walls
There are many advantages in choosing poured concrete to construct your wall over other materials. Here are just some of the many benefits of poured concrete walls:
- High durability – poured concrete walls are one of the most durable material options for wall compositions. Concrete walls are significantly stronger than concrete block and other materials, making them extremely safe and weather-resistant. Additionally, unlike other materials, concrete obviously does not rot, mold, or become damaged by insects.
- Low maintenance – due to the impressive strength and durability of poured concrete walls, they require virtually no maintenance over time making them a great long-term investment for homeowners.
- Water & Fire Resistant – another benefit to poured concrete walls is that they are water resistant and fire resistant. The joint-free construction of poured concrete walls eliminates fire hazards as well as corrosion from water damage.
- Affordability – poured concrete walls remain an extremely affordable option for its durability compared to other building materials
- Versatility – concrete is actually a very versatile material, enabling it to meet several different structural and design needs of homeowners
Poured Concrete Retaining Walls
The purpose of retaining walls is to provide stabilization and structure to a sloping landscape. In addition to its functional purpose, retaining walls serve as a decorative feature as well. Of the different materials to choose from when constructing a retaining wall, a great option is poured concrete.
Poured concrete is an excellent choice for retaining wall material due to its strength and durability. Concrete naturally is water-resistant and does not corrode from weather, meaning it will require very little maintenance over time. Additionally, concrete is environmentally friendly and is made from natural, recycled materials. Concrete is considered green construction, because is conserves other alternative building resources such as lumber.
Poured Concrete Wall Process
When pouring the concrete, our ready-mix concrete trucks will deploy the concrete directly into the foundations forms, reinforced by steel. It’s critical to use steel forms to reinforce the concrete walls, due to the material’s tensile strength. Although concrete has very strong compressive strength, it lacks tensile strength. What this means is that concrete can withstand pressure trying to reduce its size (compress it), but does not withstand pressure tending to elongate or bend it. For comparison, concrete has a tensile strength of 4,000 psi, whereas steel has a tensile strength of 36,000 psi. Together, concrete and steel are extremely complementary materials for the strong structures.
When pouring concrete into the steel forms, it’s important to eliminate any and all hollow spots caused by air pockets. Our experienced team has expert workmanship when it comes to pouring concrete. To prevent hollow areas, we use vibrating tools to ensure that the concrete settles in place and is fully solid.
Poured Concrete Walls vs. Concrete Blocks
When deciding whether to use poured concrete walls or walls made from concrete blocks, there are a few high-level differences to consider. Poured concrete walls are stronger than cinder blocks, because poured walls have more lateral strength. This lateral strength is beneficial to resist pressure from soil and water in retention walls.
Another reason why poured concrete walls are stronger is because they don’t have joints like cinderblocks do. Concrete blocks are hollow and connected with joints making them more susceptible to tension than poured concrete.
Contact Sudlow Concrete Today
If you are wondering if poured concrete walls are the best option for your home or residential project, contact Sudlow at 404-450-3753. We conduct on-site consultations to provide our best project estimates with absolutely no hidden fees.
