Greg Meyer Construction Ltd.

Basement Construction for New Homes 

In basement construction we utilize time honored steel reinforced 
concrete construction but employ Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF's) as the 
shuttering or form system.

ICF's are relatively new to the U. K. construction market but have a proven 
track record of over 40 years of use in North America.
This system of shuddering consists of interlocking expanded polystyrene foam 
blocks which are joined together with plastic connector ties thus forming a 
cavity which contains steel reinforcing rods and concrete.
(Click on the images to enlarge)

  


After assembly and leveling of the ICF and steel reinforcement, 
concrete is pumped into the cavity between the forms and left to cure.

 

The ICF's then remain as an integral component of the basement wall
thus providing insulation of the wall.  This unique feature eliminates the cost 
and added step of installation of insulation as now required by building
regulations.

As a final step, to insure a dry basement, a waterproof membrane is bonded 
to the external surface of the ICF's in combination with installation of a 
perimeter foundation drain system.  The membrane and drain system act as a 
"belt and braces" approach to guard against the ingress of ground water into 
the basement space.  Depending upon the site, the drain system can either 
be termed an active or passive system.  Passive systems are used where the 
drain system can discharge to lower elevation by gravity (such as down a hillside).  
Active systems require a pump to pump water that has been collected by the 
drain system out of a sump to a location away from the structure.

A common misconception is that ICF's act as a structural component 
of the wall.  This is totally incorrect.  ICF's only serve to contain the liquid 
concrete during the actual construction process. After the poured concrete 
contained by the ICF's hardens and cures, the concrete and steel reinforcing 
rods are the actual load bearing component of the wall.  The ICF's then 
merely act as the insulation medium of the concrete wall.

ICF's are very quick to assemble and allow construction of the basement wall 
to occur in inclement weather conditions.  This allows us to be more efficient, 
which translate into much shorter build times, and significant cost savings to 
you the customer.

To make life more simple for you and/or your builder we are a "one stop shop"
meaning that we own and operate our own earth moving equipment.  We are 
capable of performing the necessary excavations, we fabricate the actual 
basement, then back fill the excavation and make the site ready for the 
remainder of the trade work to be performed.  If desired we can also construct
the ground floor deck. 

We also offer engineering assistance from structural engineers who are familiar 
with basement fabrication using steel reinforced concrete construction and ICF's. 

If you have any further questions please contact us via e-mail by clicking
here, or telephone us on 07900 464 867 or 01323 482 832.

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