Monolithic slabs
Footing and slab poured in one operation, with the turn-down formed as part of the perimeter. The common answer for single-storey homes on level lots.
Foundations & slab-on-grade
Concrete Foundations and Slab-on-Grade
Footings, formwork, reinforcement and slabs built to the plan and documented before the concrete arrives — for builders, general contractors and homeowners across the Lowcountry and Coastal Georgia.
Step one
Footings and formwork
Everything above the footing depends on the footing being in the right place at the right depth. We set layout from the foundation plan, excavate, form and brace, then place and tie the reinforcement called for on the drawings.
- Layout from the plan. Corners and offsets pulled from the drawing, not from the last house on the street.
- Formed and braced. Forms staked and braced to hold line and elevation under the weight of wet concrete.
- Steel per the drawing. Bar size, spacing and lap lengths as specified, chaired up off the ground.
- Turn-downs and stem walls. Monolithic turn-downs, or stepped footings and block stem walls where the elevation calls for it.
- Walked before we order. The whole form is checked against the plan before a truck is scheduled.
Step two
Slab-on-grade
A slab is only as good as what is underneath it. In Lowcountry soils that means paying attention to the base and the barrier long before anyone thinks about the finish.
- Compacted subgrade. Base brought to grade and compacted so the slab is supported evenly across its whole footprint.
- Vapor barrier. Sheeting lapped and kept intact through the rest of the prep, not walked to pieces before the pour.
- Mesh or rebar on chairs. Reinforcement held at the correct height in the slab instead of lying on the ground.
- Penetrations set. Plumbing, conduit, sleeves and anchor bolts located and secured against the plan.
- Screed to elevation. Pins or a laser set the finished floor height before concrete is placed.
- Placed, floated, finished. Screeded, bull floated, then power trowelled or broom finished depending on what the slab is for.
- Joints cut. Control joints saw cut on a pattern so the slab cracks where it is supposed to.
Types we build
Foundations for the way the Lowcountry builds
Elevated slabs on stem walls
Where flood elevation or a sloping lot puts the finished floor above grade, the slab goes on a filled and capped stem wall.
Slabs with porches and drops
Lowered porch slabs, garage drops and recessed shower pans formed as part of the same pour so the framer inherits the right elevations.
Shop and pole-barn floors
Slabs poured inside an existing structure, with thickened edges under posts and a finish chosen for the equipment that will sit on it.
Commercial building slabs
Larger floors placed in strips or panels with dowelled joints, pumped where truck access will not reach.
Additions and garage slabs
New slabs tied into an existing structure, with the layout set against what is already built rather than what the plan assumed.
Before the truck arrives
The pre-pour walk
Once concrete is placed, most of the work disappears from view permanently. The walk before the pour is where problems are still cheap.
- Grade and compaction checked across the footprint, not just at the corners.
- Vapor barrier intact, lapped and turned up at the edges.
- Reinforcement size, spacing, laps and chair height confirmed against the drawing.
- Penetrations and embeds located, secured and protected.
- Forms square, braced and set to the correct elevation.
- Access and washout planned so the pour does not stall halfway through.
- Photographed and sent to whoever needs the record.
Have a foundation plan to price?
Send the set and we will take it off and come back with a written scope.