Three Things You May Not Know We Do

Most of our newsletter readers know us as Atlanta’s basement foundation specialists.  We feature articles about our homebuilding clients, and our Technical Bulletins show better construction methods for poured wall foundations.

However, residential basement foundations aren’t the only type of concrete structures that we build.  Over the last 36 years, we’ve completed hundreds of projects in the agricultural, commercial, multifamily and industrial sectors.

We wanted to kick off the first issue of 2015 by highlighting three different types of concrete structures that we construct.  We realize that you may not be aware of these additional areas that we work in and we wanted to share them with you.

 

Commercial Projects

Our company built a foundation for
Trader Joe’s at the corner of Peachtree St.
and Piedmont Rd. in Buckhead.

Residential basement foundations have many of the same similarities from one

house to the next.  By contrast, commercial foundations are usually one of a kind

projects.  They require a lot more up-front planning, scheduling and paperwork.  We have always been very comfortable with these additional requirements.  

The bidding process of commercial construction makes it easy to get into and then pull back from commercial subcontracting.  While residential construction is relationship-driven, commercial construction leans more towards price-driven factors.  For many years throughout the life of our company, commercial work has accounted for the majority of our revenue. 

Structural steel is set on our foundations
at a new Sports Authority in Hiram.

Some of the foundations we’ve constructed:

¨ Churches

¨ Restaurants

¨ Retail Stores

¨ Manufacturing Facilities

¨ Gas Stations

¨ Office Buildings

Elevated Structural Slabs

A view from the resident parking area underneath
our podium slab.  Condos or townhomes can
be built above the elevated slab.

Also known in Atlanta as “Podium Slabs,” these elevated concrete slabs are popular for multifamily projects that don’t have a lot of land space.  Instead offorfeiting property square footage for parking spaces, the apartments, lofts or townhomes are built on a raised concrete deck.  The area beneath this deck is then used for parking.  In certain applications, this can almost double the housing unit density of a property.

We constructed this podium foundation
near Edgewood for Keith Anderson and
John Willis Homes.

We construct the entire podium slab structure, including the slab-on-grade, columns,

walls, elevator pit and elevated structural slab.  Then, the multifamily structure that sits on top of the slab is built with conventional wood-framed construction.

Retention / Detention Ponds

Our detention pond wall under construction
in Alpharetta for Mark Shaw and
The Providence Group.

Retention and detention ponds are created to control the rainwater on developed property.  We get involved when the pond needs a concrete wall to hold the rainwater.  We have come to specialize in this challenging type of work.

Our work can include an outlet control structure that manages the outflow of water.  Lately, we’ve seen more attention paid to how that outflow is dissipated on the back side of the pond wall.  This

We constructed this large detention
pond wall near Woodstock for
Bill Hale of Whale Ventures.

area, referred to as the level spreader, we are often required to construct concrete pedestals and short walls.

Technical Bulletin – Drop Down at Retaining Wall

Plan view of the trouble spot between the
 basement wall and the retaining wall.

There is a potential for water leaks and water-related damage to homes that have concrete retaining walls attached to their foundations.

 The problem arises when the retaining wall is constructed at the same height as the foundation wall that it connects to.  When rain water lands on top of the retaining wall, it can travel laterally onto the foundation wall.  Once on top of the foundation wall, it can cascade down the wall into the basement and cause water problems inside the basement.  If the water stays on top of the foundation wall, it can weaken the structure through the eventual rotting of the sill plate and floor trusses.

The simple but effective way to eliminate this is to drop the top of the retaining wall below the foundation wall height.  By lowering the top of the retaining wall 4” to 6” below the top of the basement foundation wall, you create a step in the concrete.  This prevents the water from travelling onto the foundation wall.

Without a drop between the retaining wall and
basement wall, rain water can get into the basement.

This step in the concrete should be right at the exterior framing line, regardless of whether siding, brick or stone is applied to the framing.  The step should still be constructed if the retaining wall gets faced with brick or stone because water will find its way down through the brick to the top of the concrete wall.

This drop down at the retaining wall is one example of the many different issues that can cause structural and water-related problems in house foundations.  The key is to identify these problem areas and make the required changes to your foundation design.  At Herbert Construction Company, we continually review our clients’ plans and suggest beneficial changes before and during the construction process.

A drop between the retaining wall and basement wall
prevents rain water from getting into the basement.

As these changes are incorporated into the way your foundations are designed and built, you will begin to eliminate the problems that cause warranty issues and annoying or expensive call-backs.  You’ll also improve your company’s reputation and increase your client referrals.