As one of the most important components of your home, the foundation provides support to the walls, roof, building materials, occupants & furnishings & transfers those loads to the soil. Your foundation has several other important functions as well, including preventing movement of the building due to loads & frost.
When pouring foundations, concrete goes through a curing process which gives it its strength. At 4°C or below, freshly poured concrete can start to be affected by the cold & this can cause its potential strength to be reduced by more than 50% & can negatively affect its durability.
Pouring foundations in temperatures consistently below 4°C is possible but means that extra steps must be taken to warm the concrete. Depending on how cold it is, some of the methods can include using plastic sheeting or insulation to cover the concrete, providing heaters and/or wind protection, using chemical additives in the concrete mix, warming the concrete before pouring & leaving forms in place for a longer time. It’s also very important to avoid pouring the concrete on frozen ground & to allow the concrete to warm up & cool down at a slow rate before & after pouring.
Some of the issues that can occur with concrete foundations include cracks, surface defects & bowing or bulging of the walls & these could lead to water leaks or even weakness of the structure of your home. Hiring a certified home inspector during construction & before your warranty expires will help to identify potential concerns & also help you better protect your investment.
Read our other blog posts to learn about Dealing with Ice Damming & Preparing Your Home for Winter.
Sources:
Cold Weather Concreting - Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario
Cold Weather Concreting Plain Facts and Common Sense - Lafarge
CIP 27-Cold Weather Concreting - National Ready Mixed Concrete Association