"We did some research on this new type of foundation and realized it had a lot of great advantages," said John Wood, vice president for student success. "These walls are more energy efficient which saves the homeowner money in the long run, they are more sustainable and they are also more environmentally friendly than the previous method since they reduce the amount of materials needed to build the home as well as the amount of job site waste." The walls, which come pre insulated and include features like built-in accesses for wiring and small plumbing, stud facing for easy drywall installation and custom openings for windows and doors, were delivered to the job site on Monday, August 29. The wall panels were set in place by a crane and crew members secured the walls together using a laser-level to ensure they are level and square. Joints were then sealed with special adhesive sealant. The entire process took a matter of hours instead of days spent on a poured foundation. "We are really excited about this new process," said Bryan Hicklin, Carpentry department head. "Representatives from Superior Walls took the time to be at the installation and talked the students through the entire process. This is really a great learning experience for our students to be able to participate in this new building technique." For more information on Superior Walls, visit their website at www.superiorwalls.com. To see more photos and videos of the installation, visit us on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.
The Ranken Community Development Corporation (RCDC) has two new homes under construction by second-year students in the Carpentry program. The homes, located on Evans Avenue, are part of Phase II of the project known as Sam Moore Estates. The first home’s foundation was poured at the end of last year by students using the typical poured concrete method. The second home, with a slightly smaller floor plan, will have a new type of foundation using the Superior Walls system. Superior Walls are precast concrete walls created in a controlled factory environment customized to fit the blueprints and specifications provided by a builder or architect. The concrete is reinforced with steel rebar, making it stronger than traditional foundations.
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