Hi all,

I am planning on building a cottage which will sit on about a 5-6' high uninsulated foundation. I am considering both concrete block and poured wall constrution.

Looking for opinions, pros cons, one over the other.

From a cost point of view is one more expensive than the other.

Thanks

 

You and your friends are the main control over the end cost.

Go where you can get the most experience. If your forms shift during pouring, you can have a mess trying to build on the foundation after the shock of finding out what you have when the forms are stripped.There probably is not much cost difference between the two if you have access to forms for the poured wall. You can't afford using insulated concrete forms (ICFs) that you leave in place.

I am partial to masonry because of the flexibility, especially on foundations with more than 4 corners or walls other than 8 feet high. It is difficult to pour a 5 or 6 foot high wall when plywood gives you a 8 foot high form unless you waste a lot. Block give you the ability to spread the work over a period of time if you wish. When you pour, you have to worry about access and getting the concrete to the top of the forms. Pumped concrete is not cheap or easy to schedule.

The insulating value of plain poured walls and block wall are the same.

The decision should depend on the your ability to get the right people for the foundation.

Dick

P.S. - I would seriously consider going a couple of feet deeper. The extra cost is minimal when you consider the increased available space and usability. A 5 foot basement is not much better than a crawl space if you ever want to do anything or install equipment.

 

Thanks for the info!

I was leaning toward masonary.
(My foundation has 16 corners.)