In most home construction today the foundation is poured concrete foundation built on a concrete footing to support the wall. The house foundation wall supports the weight of the building by carrying the load through the footing to the earth beneath it. Prior to poured concrete foundations, foundation walls were build using stone or cement block. There are many older homes that are still standing that are built on foundation walls made from stone.

Stone foundations were difficult to build simply because of the amount of labor involved gathering the stone and cementing them in place. In more expensive homes the stone was cut from nearby granite quarries but this did not ease the burden of labor. Many of the granite quarried stone weighed as much as a quarter ton.

Concrete blocks were first used in construction during the early Roman period but were not used in the west until the middle of the 19^th century when after the process became mechanized by using a hand operated press to form the blocks. Concrete block foundation walls are still used today by builders to construct foundation walls although there use is labor intense as compared to a poured concrete wall.

The concrete block only weighted a fraction of the weight of stone and was much easier to handle. Concrete blocks today are made in many different sizes and styles. Many have a prefinished side that forms the outside finish of the building.

The down side of a concrete block foundation is that they are not as strong as poured concrete foundations and easily crack under shear loads caused from the shifting earth or strong winds against the house. However, they are very good at carrying compression loads especially when the wall is reinforced with rebar. The standard size of a concrete block used is 8X8X16 inches and weighs approximately fifteen pounds with an insulation R-Value of just 1.11.

A poured concrete foundation wall is usually eight inches in weight although six inch walls are not uncommon. For homes that are finished with a brick or stone veneer the walls are usually ten inches wide to accommodate the veneer finish.

The insulation R-value of an eight inch poured concrete wall is approximately 2.0, much better than a concrete block foundation. In terms of labor the poured foundation is much less. A standard eight inch wall that is eight feet high cost approximately 20% less to construct than a concrete block wall. With various additives and steel reinforcement, poured concrete can withstand tremendous loads, both compression and sheer and last for decades without cracking.

If you are planning a new home I recommend that you insist on having a poured concrete foundation. It is cheaper to build and is stronger than a concrete block foundation.

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