The sheer size of the foundation usually would normally send the owner looking for a commercial company to do the work instead of a residential company. But owner Bo Harrison said the homeowner came to River City Foundations belowgrade for the project because of work the company had completed for the owner before, and because of its reputation for being the best at large and complex projects. “This type of situation is what we excel at,” Harrison said. “We are known for pulling off those ‘impossible’ jobs and doing it well.” “The completed foundation on this project is significantly different from the original blueprint,” Harrison explained. “Major changes in the field meant countless hours of dismantling wall panels and redesigning new walls to meet the homeowners specs. You might say that the design aspect was a continuous work in progress.
“It had examples of almost every type of situation you can encounter in foundation work. Most challenges could be met with careful pre-construction planning; however, some had to be met in the field at that time.” The project has more than 1,500 linear feet of foundation wall containing more than 600 cubic yards of concrete and 41,000 pounds of steel reinforcement. The project includes a 12-foot walkout basement and a two-story, 24-foot-tall vault. Wall heights ranged from 2-foot 4-inch to 24-foot,
and ranged from 10 to 15 inches in thickness. River City poured footings that were all 3 feet wide and placed at a variety of levels with footing steps ranging from
8 inches to 5 feet in height.
There were also special footings for a recessed elevator pad and the 10-foot by 15-foot vault. “Typical of very large residences, the geometry and layout further complicated the construction,” Harrison explained. There are 11 individual radius or curved walls with radii from 2-foot to 38-foot 2-inch and a total length of 223 feet. The foundation also had freestanding columns up to 3-foot 4-inch square and 7-foot-tall, as well as concrete floors and ceilings in the vault. “Approximately two weeks prior to the start date was spent proofing the blueprint, discovering errors and planning a schedule,” Harrison said as he recounted the challenges.
“We visualized how to stage equipment and designed ways to most effectively facilitate some of the more complex concrete placements.” Estimating was also a challenge and required multiple trips to the jobsite before elevation shots and layout couldcommence. Although significantly more detailed than a traditional set of plans and specifications, the architectural and engineering blueprints required intense scrutiny due to the level of detail involved with the full project.
Technology played a significant role in the success of the project for River City Foundations as they solved the complex layout of more than 700 individual points with a
robotic total station. Concrete pumps delivered the concrete to much of the foundation due to the size and height of many of the wall areas.
“Being as the project schedule spanned different seasons, the working conditions varied from oppressive heat and mud to frozen ground and snow. Every day brought new challenges and new decisions,” he said. “We are blessed to have such a great work force of men and women,” Harrison said. “I am very proud of the quality and pride that goes into all of our foundation jobs, big or small. I think this and many other reasons are why we maintain more than our fair share of the work in this market, despite the very slow economy.“
