In January they poured the foundation and basement walls for my new home. The guys came and put up the forms, and the next day they came and told me that because the outdoor temperature is below zero the concrete trucks will not come, but they said that if I let them mix their own, I will get the job for half price. I agreed. They took a front end loader and scooped the clay soil that came out of the dug hole into a drum mixer, added water and poured the entire foundation and walls in a few hours.
At first I thought they were going to add concrete but he explained to me that they do not need concrete in the wintertime, only in the summer. He said that plain mud and water will turn as hard as rock in a few hours in the winter. He was right. It was hard as rock the next morning and the builders were there to build the house. The temperature was well below zero but they framed the house that same day and had it roofed and sided the next day. By the end of the week the plumbing and wiring was complete and I moved in.
I am a little worried about this foundation though. The last few days the weather warmed, and I noticed these foundation walls are not as hard as they were when they were poured. In fact, one corner of the house has sagged and there is a bowing in the basement walls in that corner. Thi seems most noticable near the furnace, and where the I-beam rests on the basement walls.
They told me these walls would be hard as a rock, and they were, but they are getting softer now. Should I be worried about this, or does this just happen as part of normal settling? I saved a considerable amount of money on the basement pour, so I dont want to complain to the company, and they said they do many jobs this way. The even showed me pictures of roads and driveways they made this way, and said they stayed hard all winter.
Floyd