• A poured foundation for a home or business acts in the same way as a block foundation, they both create a firm pad for the wood or steel framing to rest on. With out a firm foundation the framing of a home would move with the elements of the weather. Too much rain and the home may sink into the ground, too dry and the frame may be pushed up from the surface by the shrinking soil. In cold climates, in which the ground freezes and then thaws, the frame of the home could me moved like a gentle roller coaster season after season and soon be destroyed.
  
  

The Footer

• All foundations whether block or poured concrete must rest on the footer of the foundation. The footer is a poured reinforced concrete pad generally one foot thick. This pad rests well under ground, below the frost level for the climate of the home. The footer pad has pieces of reinforcing rod or rebars running the length of the pad to strengthen the concrete. The footer pad is laid and poured to be perfectly level in which the block or poured concrete foundation can rest upon.
  
  

The Block Foundation

• Block foundations are generally a fast installation if completed by trained masons. The mason will lay the block in a staggered fashion so the end joints of the block do not line up with each other. After the bock is laid to the required height it is allowed to be cured for a short time. The block is then filled with concrete and pieces of rebar are placed down inside the open cavity to strengthen the block that is filled with concrete. The blocks act like a permanent form for a solid concrete block foundation.
  
  

The Poured Concrete Foundation

• Unlike the block foundation a poured concrete foundation takes longer to setup. Although it is poured in one day generally, the forms that hold the wet concrete may take days or weeks to put in place. After the concrete forms are set on the footer they are filled with a mesh of rebar to strengthen the concrete wall. Depending on the height of the foundation the forms may have to be heavily braced to keep the forms from falling while the poured concrete is curing. Once the concrete is hard the forms are removed and the fresh or green concrete is allowed to cure for a number of days. Some concrete forms are made to have patterns on the inside so the finished foundation can resemble bricks or even stacked rock.
  
  

Poured verses Block

• In the end, climate generally dictates the type of foundation a home may have. A wet climate with cold weather may benefit from a poured concrete foundation due to its over all strength. While in milder climates a block foundation can be beneficial do to its quick construction and low cost. Both types can be easily insulated inside and out, along with applying sealant to make them completely resistant to water penetration.