From digging the site to basement wall installation, creating a foundation is often the trickiest part of building a house. Unless it's a very large residential project, creating the foundation generally requires the most complex machinery and labor of the entire building. Pouring the cement for the floor and installing the walls are often projects that can consume entire building crews for a good number of days or even weeks.

Do-It-Yourself Basement Wall Installation

Traditionally, professional crews are responsible for most basement wall installation jobs. With the development of Styrofoam concrete forms (or ICFs--insulated concrete forms), however, even craftsmen with limited experience with concrete can successfully pour their own basement walls and foundations. In general, a crew of a half dozen people can complete the pour in a single afternoon.

Preparing the site and installing the forms requires more patience, though. In order to achieve a successful installation, care must be used when installing the ICFs--in the end, every five linear feet of wall will contain about 2 tons of concrete. Representatives from the ICF companies usually rent out tools such as stabilizing scaffolding to help do-it-yourselfers in their work.

ICFs are concrete forms made out of high-density foam that remain around the cement after pouring. They protect the cement while it's curing and act as both thermal and noise insulation for the life of the house. The also simplify the final stages of basement wall installation, requiring little more than a coat of plaster to finish the interior walls.