Concrete Foundation Contractor FAQ

Concrete Foundation Contractor

When you hire a concrete foundation contractor, you are trusting one team to control the most important load-bearing element of your project. We set the cut, excavate to depth, install water sewer, form the formwork, place reinforcing steel, line and sink the header, pour, screed and finish every wall, pad, pier and slab. Monitor curing to concrete reaches it’s design strength. Then spray protective waterproofing, install weeping tile, attach insulation and convey drainage rock coverage, backfill to grade. Because we handle each stage in house, schedules stay tight, maximum efficiency is reached and communication stays clear. Less headaches, less trades, less chaos and confusion.

A full-service approach also keeps compliance simple. Alberta’s National Building Code requires a minimum of 15 MPa concrete for foundations and strict controls on rebar size, cover and consolidation. We verify every pour against those rules and reference the National Research Council of Canada’s National Building Code for any detail that falls outside standard practice. Making contractors confident and engineer’s happy.

Foundation FAQs Answered 

What makes a good concrete foundation footing? 

A footing spreads the building load across stable soil. In Red Deer clay, we pour a continuous concrete foundation footing at an average rooting of 20”x 8” footing. That profile resists frost heave and transfers weight evenly to undisturbed native soil. 

Can I use concrete foundation blocks instead of poured walls? 

Concrete foundation blocks—also called concrete masonry units—are acceptable for small accessory buildings, but they require fully grouted cores and horizontal joint reinforcement every third course to meet local code. For heated homes, a poured wall delivers better moisture control and fewer thermal breaks. Vapour barriers are also hard to install on masonry units. Cost savings here can create extra work and greater issues in the long run.

Do I need a concrete foundation for a deck? 

If your deck supports a roof or enclosed sunroom, yes. A concrete foundation for deck piers must extend below the 3.9ft frost line and fasten to beam saddles with hot-dipped galvanized hardware. For freestanding platforms under 23.6" high, surface screw piles are usually enough—but we still engineer them for uplift and lateral load. 

How do you approach concrete foundation repair? 

Concrete foundation repair starts with diagnosis. We look for settlement, hydrostatic pressure or sulphate attack. Often minor cracks are not discovered because basements are underground and backfilled or inside they are drywalled. Minor cracks tend to not be a big deal as long as water can’t seep through the crack. However, if moisture get’s in that crack can compromise more than you barganed for.

More severe movement is most likely a unresolved moisture problem. Please contact us if you experience major issues during freeze thaw cycles. We can help assess the issue and make a reccomendation that is right for long term mitigation and success.

Throughout every fix, we stay mindful of code clauses on lateral soil support, foundation damp proofing and backfill timing. Skipping those steps can undo an otherwise solid repair. 

We answer questions like these daily, and more detail is always a click away in our blog on residential and commercial foundations . 

Ready to break ground? Contact our team to schedule a site visit and quote.