Looking To Buy New Home, Special Foundation..?etc

Knyte260

I'm shopping for a new home in my area and one that I'm very interested in buying has a special foundation made by Superior Products called R5.

http://www.superiorwalls.com/products_r5.php

On the link above there are some pictures and such.
....
"The R-5 is the original Superior Wall that revolutionized new home foundations across the country. Builders and homeowners alike trust the R-5 to keep their basements warm and dry through the harshest conditions. The original Superior Wall is designed to be warm right from the factory, and is provided with 1 inch of continuous DOW ® insulation for year-round comfort and energy efficiency. The special high-strength, low-water concrete mix ensures that your basement remains dry, and the wall is reinforced with steel rebar and polypropylene fibers for strength."
....


Any comments on this? Did the builder spend more on this than a regular poured concrete foundation? The basement area has 1400 finished sqft of living space, with full bath.

Also the house has well and septic, unfamiliar territory for me. Any special questions I should ask about this?

Kitchen is huge with granite tops, two sinks, two dishwashers. Cabinetry is from Century Cabinetry, looks to be 1/2" thick drawer sides, and cherry faces. No full extension or dovetailing on the drawers though, doesn't that sound disappointing for such a kitchen? Picture attached of that kitchen.

Attached Images

   

thom

Sure reads like spam to me.

747

What is your question. Is superior walls a good foundation. The answer is yes if properly installed. 5,000 psi and ready for drywall. Also it doesn't need a exterior moisturer barrier over it because the cement is so tight. Did the contractor spend more on this then other foundation. Answer NO. Let me explain. Superior walls is a foundation thats ready for drywall. So if you take a traditional poured foundation figure out how much its going to cost to get the basement ready for drywall then its about a wash if not a little cheaper to go with superor walls.

mdshunk

"Superior Walls" are not an odd foundation at all. About 1/3 of the new foundations in my area are Superior Walls. There are no special issues associated with them that I know of. They are basically "span decks", that have been used for decades for concrete floors and roofs, turned on their side and used as walls (with some differences, obviously). Superior Walls are slightly more than poured walls, but much faster. They can set them in the AM, and you'll be building on top of them in the PM.

TimNJ

There was a house just put up near me with them. It seems odd that they just lay down about 10" of stone for a footing and set the panels on them.

mdshunk

Wait until you see a pressure treated wood foundation. They're covered in the IRC.

ProWallGuy

Thats a hella nice pad. Patios/pavers must treat you well.

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Knyte260

The home was designed for a finished walkout basement, so maybe it was better and cheaper to do this Superior foundation. I guess I'm curious about if the builder was trying to save money on things, because I know that is going to matter for many many other things with the house.

For instance, the kitchen seems very nice, but the drawers albeit 1/2" with cherry fronts, are not dovetailed!