The foundation is the building block for your home.  The accuracy of the foundation is crucial to framing, trusses, roofing, etc.  Hiring a quality contractor to pour your foundation will prevent major headaches down the road.

Although most of your construction projects will be measured in square feet, when buying concrete, you measure in cubic yards - the length, width and depth to determine the amount needed. Multiply length by width (to find square feet), multiply that by depth or thickness (for cubic feet) and divide by 27 (the number of cubic feet in a cubic yard) to determine how much concrete is required.  You will need to determine the cubic yards of concrete that you need before the concrete can be ordered.

The variables which dictate the cost of pouring your foundation will be:

• The concrete costs as dictated by the concrete provider
• The amount of concrete being used
• The number of trucks required to complete your pour. A standard sized concrete truck carries about 9 cubic yards.

Special considerations need to be made if you have a jobsite that is inaccessible or challenging for a concrete truck to access. A fully loaded concrete truck weighs 66,000 pounds so make sure that bridges, dirt roads, steep hills, etc. are not a factor in getting a truck to the jobsite. Another consideration is, can the concrete truck get close enough to the actual forms to pour the concrete directly into the forms? If not, a concrete pump will be necessary. You will have to hire a concrete pumper separately.

Foundation labor will typically occur after site clearing and excavation are complete and includes setting of the foundation forms, placement of any structural steel, pouring of the concrete and the stripping of the forms. This will vary slightly for foundations that are concrete block, pre-cast concrete, insulated concrete forms (ICF) or other less traditional methods.

The subcontractor that performs the foundation labor will usually contract with a concrete company, and if necessary a concrete pumper, to provide and deliver the concrete material used to form your foundation.  In most cases, you will need to contract with a separate subcontractor to provide the drainage, waterproofing, insulation (if necessary) and backfilling of your foundation.