Committed to Providing Quality Foundation Solutions in Two Hills, AB
At Northwind Concrete, we understand that the foundation of your residential or commercial space is vulnerable to damage and degradation. Over time, the foundation can crack, sink and move. If left unattended, this can cause severe damage to your home and property. Here, we come to your rescue with our high-quality foundation restoration services in Two Hills, Alberta.
Some of the common reasons for cracking or sinking foundations are the use of inferior quality materials, deterioration, movement of the soil underneath the foundation, weather and accumulation of moisture or water. Such factors weaken the foundation, which can prove to be dangerous for your property.
Our team of experts offers foundation installations, reinstallations, repairs, replacement, along with decontamination and basement finishing. Our team will thoroughly analyze the foundation to identify the problem and address it. If you have any questions about our service or want to book a service, call us now.
Extensions, Additions, and Underpinning
If you wish to add additional space to your property, then extensions can be perfect. This extra room can be used as a home office, personal gym or as a bedroom. You can rely on our team of experts to offer space addition services. We understand that planning a new home addition project can be daunting and challenging. We can assist you with all aspects of your addition project, including planning, design and architecture, production, construction and installation. We have the knowledge and the expertise to handle your project with ease.
The architects at Northwind Concrete are up-to-date with all the latest building regulations. We undertake all our services in compliance with all necessary building codes. We can also help you get the necessary approvals for your project. We have the systems in place to help secure approvals and obtain permits.
With extensive site inspection and comprehensive consultation, our trained and experienced professionals will ensure that you get the result you desire.
Insulated Concrete Forms
Advantages
Insulated concrete forms provide benefits to builders and building owners alike.
Owners appreciate:
Strong walls
Disaster resistance and safety
Mould, rot, mildew, and insect resistance (below grade can require termite protection)
Sound-blocking ability
Overall comfort
Energy efficiency and resultant cost savings
Contractors and builders like:
Fast, easy construction
Flexibility
Light-weight for easy shipping and erection
Compatibility with carpenter trades
Ability to meet higher energy code mandates with less complicated construction
Sizes, Components, Configurations, Systems
Insulating concrete forms systems can vary in their design. "Flat" systems yield a continuous thickness of concrete, like a conventionally poured wall. The wall produced by "grid" systems has a waffle pattern where the concrete is thicker at some points than others. "Post and beam" systems have just that – discrete horizontal and vertical columns of concrete that are completely encapsulated in foam insulation. Whatever their differences, all major ICF systems are engineer-designed, code-accepted and field-proven.
Some type of connector or web separates the two insulating faces. Large pre-assembled blocks are stacked quickly on site. Panels or planks ship more compactly but must be assembled into formwork on the job. Foam is the most often expanded polystyrene (EPS). It can be extruded by polystyrene (XPS), which is more robust, but also more costly. A few products are made with recycled foam or wood fibre in a nod to green construction. The salvaged material is formed into blocks with cement, making units ideal for direct application of plaster finishes.
The ties that interconnect the two layers of insulated forming material can be plastic, metal, or additional projections of the insulation. There are advantages to each type of material, but one current trend incorporates hinges into the ties that allow pre-assembled forms to fold flat for easy, less costly shipping.
The joints between individual forms can feature interlocking teeth or a tongue and groove configuration moulded into the forming material, or simple butt jointed seams. Many manufacturers have developed units with universal interlocks that allow the forms to stack whether the form is flipped one way or the other. These “reversible” forms save time during placement and prevent improper alignment. Special units for corners, floors, and roof assemblies round out the product lines and improve the engineering of the system and energy efficiency of the final construction.
Block sizes are typically on the order of 16 inches high by 48 inches long. The cavities are commonly six or eight inches wide but can be larger or smaller as needed. The foam faces are also capable of being varied, but 1-7/8- to 2-3/4-inch thickness is a usual range. So an 8-inch cavity with a two-inch foam face on either side would lead to a 12-inch formed wall. More recently, some systems have developed the capability of offering thicker layers of foam to enhance performance.
After finishes are applied inside and out, the typical final wall thickness is greater than one foot. This means that the depth of window and door surrounds have to be more extensive than what is used for traditional frame construction, with resulting deep window sills—a nice feature for homeowners or other building occupants.
