Block or poured concrete walls.

[NXGTS]

The plan I had drawn up is for block walls. This was because of my budget. I'm building a 30x48 and have a limit of 30K to do it. So, the budget is a little tight. The excavator that gave me an estimate for the footers went ahead and bid the walls as well but he only does concrete. His price was $1500 for the footer and $2400 for the wall. That sounded expensive to me at first but I haven't gotten an estimate for the block. I do know that materials alone are $800 for the block,mortar, sand. I would assume it would be somewhere in the $1000 range for labor. Given that it looks like $1800 vs. $2400. What would you all do and do these numbers sound right? Are poured concrete walls that much stronger? For $600 it's really not that big a difference (budget wise).

We built our house in '06 and it has a block foundation. No issues with it but then again it's only 4 years old. We'll see what it looks like after 20.

 

[LEVE]

I'd take a concrete foundation/walls any day over block if I had the choice and the price was comparable. Are they stronger? I'd have to say yes, and if you do a monolithic pour with the footings and foundation wall at the same time... that's a lot stronger than the footings being poured and the block placed on top of it. When I did mine, I installed a 2 ft. wall with rebar running the length of the wall 9" from the bottom and from the top tied to the footings. IMHO, it's whole lot stronger than a block wall.

 

[kbs2244]

If he pours the footers right, block will be plenty strong for a garage.
I prefer poured for a basement wall because of the side loading.
But you will be back filling the wall on both sides, so the only load is vertical.

Shop around for a mason.
A lot of guys are looking for work and yours is not a big project.
It would be a perfect “side job.”

 

[folgers]

If the bid for was for poured walls 4 ft. high and 8in. thick with rebar and 8in by 16in. footings with rebar then I think that's a darn good price. Poured walls are several times stronger than block. I'd be surprised if you could get block walls put up much cheaper.

 

[NXGTS]

The footer bid was without rebar. I told him I wanted it and he said it would be a couple hundred more. The bid for the walls was a 36" wall with rebar. It was 16" footer and 8" thick wall.