Split faced block question

Jan 24, 2005 3 Replies

We are building a pier and beam house. Rather than used regular concrete blocks for the crawl space I was thinking of using split faced blocks. Will that work? How does the cost compare? Also, is it more effort for the mason and does it cost more?


It is just material cost, I did some a decade ago and the block was about 2.5 times as much as a standard building unit.

I'm pretty sure that split face block requires waterproofing after it is installed and on a regular schedule thereafter. I would check to make sure you are not going to stuck with an extra cost or a maintenance item you weren't counting on.

Chuck

Also, depending on the mason, there may be a 'surcharge' for using split-faced block. They weigh about 1.5 times a standard block. So, from a physics standpoint it's 1.5 times the amount of work to lift each block and place it on the wall. Consequently, the cost should be about 150% of standard block. Something to think about, huh?

-Phil Crow

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