3 Reasons to Choose Shotcrete for Your Stone Basement

Western Michigan is full of beautiful old farm houses that have one thing in common: stone foundations that are nearing the end of their lives and beginning to crumble. Even more traditional and modern foundations like poured or block concrete can fall victim to crumbling, and it’s a much more difficult problem to fix than basic cracks. Or at least, it used to be.

 

Once you’ve passed the wall crack stage and are firmly falling apart, it’s time to call us. Ayers uses a method of Shotcrete application that will build new walls in place rather than what used to be the only option - replacing a foundation entirely. Let’s compare.

 

Convenience

 

Replace: Pouring a new foundation requires you to lift the house - yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like. Some projects can be done one wall at a time with the house braced on posts, while others lift the entire house at once with a crane. No matter which method is used, you can’t live in the house during the project and the home’s structure can be compromised from the stress of lifting it.

 

Shotcrete: You can stay home. It might be loud during the day, between attaching the steel framework and the noise from spraying. But we’ll be gone each evening and you can spend peaceful nights in your own bed.

 

One small inconvenience - due to the thickness of the new walls, you’ll lose a little bit of space in the basement - about 35 square feet for every 1000 square feet of basement.

 

Time

 

Replace: Replacing your foundation can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to “TBD,” depending on everything from the size of the foundation to availability of materials to weather to...you get the point. 

 

Shotcrete: Depending on the size of the foundation, installing the steel framework will take 1-2 days and spraying will take about the same. Add another day or two at the end to make sure it’s totally cured. That’s it.

 

Money

 

Replace: The range I’ve been able to find on lifting a home to replace the foundation is anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000+ just for the basic work. First off, that’s a pretty big range. Secondly, it leaves out a lot, like the costs of alternative living arrangements for the unknown duration of the project and repairing anything broken in the process.

 

Shotcrete: Shotcrete is priced by the square foot - easy as that. Nothing hidden, no contingencies for the lift damaging your house, no paying for a hotel. 

 

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Do you want to move out of your home for an unknown amount of time while it hangs from a crane and risk damage and immense cost, or do you want to put up with a few days of moderate noise? The choice is yours. Call us to ask about shotcrete and schedule your free inspection.