Building a House with Concrete

Cast-in-place concrete homes can be built using three methods:

  • Exterior Walls only
  • Exterior and Interior Walls
  • Exterior, Interior Walls and Ceiling/Floor Construction (the most secure home)

These methods allow a builder to create a high-quality home that's safe, secure, comfortable, attractive, energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

1. Wall Forms

After creating a reinforced concrete slab foundation for the home, aluminum forms (8-foot plus tall) are erected creating 4-inch reinforced concrete walls and 6-inch concrete ceilings/floors. Tunnel forms cast walls and slabs at the same time. Electrical boxes, conduit, plumbing, and mechanical sleeves are cast-in-place in conduit to allow for future flexibility.

2. Pouring Concrete

Concrete is poured into the wall and deck forms. In just one day, the reinforced concrete is sufficiently cured and forms are removed. Work begins on the second level if a two-story structure. Walls, ceilings, and stairs are poured monolithically.

3. Removing Forms

Forms are removed from the concrete structure.

4. Exterior and Roof

The exterior can be finished with stucco, brick, siding, or other materials. The roof is conventionally framed of lumber or steel atop the concrete deck that forms the first or second level’s roof. This allows architectural flexibility in roof design while keeping the wood or steel used for the roof framing outside of the home’s fire-resistant thermal concrete envelope.

5. Finishing

The finished interior concrete walls and ceilings are so flat and smooth, drywall is not needed. Walls and ceilings are finished. Optional concrete crown molding available.

6. The Finished Product

This is the system that professional concrete forming contractors use to complete a beautiful new cast-in-place concrete-built home.