Well, I think I'm ok, fortunately. (The walls are the Xi plus - they shimmer in the sunlight. Heck it felt like you are in a pizza oven down there in the sunlight. :) I felt so bad for those guys working down there over these past hot days.) The hump is out, they cut it back down to the vapor barrier. So I can see that there is about 4 inches of concrete in the floor (and I saw the vapor barrier underneath it). I was told the door sits up like that to allow for the extra height in case it is finished with screed boards - but that using screed boards is not necessary with this new wall. Had they actually USED pressure-treated screed boards the floor would be almost level with the door...but since some doofus used untreated wood the GC had them pulled out and didn't replace them. Do I wish the floor was more or less level with the door? Yes, I really do. But at this point I think it is the lesser of 2 evils. The floor that is there looks good, and it is finished in a manner that is "just fine" according to Superior. I suppose I could pitch a fit and make them do the whole bonding agent/another 2 inch pour thing...but I'm afraid all that is going ot do is tick off the GC, and it adds just one more thing that could go wrong. Besides, I'm having the floor finished off with tile down there eventually, so that will make up some of the height too. If we add another 2 inches it could actually make it too tight to do tile underneath the door. I appreciate all the help. Hopefully this closes the chapter on the basement. Now we'll just have to see what can go wrong on the floors above it. ;)

I'm a builder and building inspector and have installed or inspected close to a thousand precast 'superior' walls foundations. Superior walls are stronger than block or poured concrete walls being engineered to 5000 psf or greater. Because of the density of the concrete, the walls are tested and listed to be installed without waterproofing or dampproofing. Superior walls and other similar types of precast foundation systems come pre-insulated. Superior walls come with built-in "studs" that make up the walls. There is no therefore no additional requirement to frame walls with Superior walls if one wishes to finish the basement. These studs and plates come pre-bored for ease of bolting on plates and pulling wire cables. Wall sections can easily be cut to add windows or door openings after installation...or bored for utility installations. Dollar for dollar pre-cast walls are much cheaper than conventional walls, are stronger, and afford the easiest installation. And while pre-cast wall systems, like block or concrete foundations walls also cannot be installed on frozen soil, Pre-cast concrete walls provide the most consistent, lowest risk, and safest winter installation possible. In my experience, pre-cast walls systems are superior to block and concrete without doubt.

In 2003, I found a new "dealer" for Superior Walls. Since I already had a Bobcat and cousins in the excavating business, this fellow sold me the Superior walls delivered and installed for what amounted to $11.00 per square foot for my job. Delivery and installation are all that he did for me. Mine are 10' high. Of course they really price them by the linear foot with upcharges for window and door openings, brickledge and such. My excavation cost about $500.00. I did the stone base, and did the top sills after the wall set. Got a bargain in the floor slab from a different contractor. I put HVAC condensate drain and water heater drain piping under the slab, gravity flow. My 10' high Superior walls foundation with floor slab was about $15.00 per square foot. That was 4 years ago. I made sure that all duct and piping installation (I am the plumber) provides at least 8' of headroom below it. Deciding to use the Superior Walls was one of the very best choices I made in the whole project. But Superior Walls later treated that contractor shabbily. After that contractor got the good reputation established for Superior Walls in this area, SW built another manufacturing plant in this state and started doing all installs with their own crews. Prices are higher now. Lest anyone think that my project was all "La Vie En Rose", HVAC was a problem, used a total of 5 contractors to get a reasonably satisfactory system. And unfortunately, that means 4 local HVAC contractors that I cannot call anymore if I need service. We both lost in that case.

My DH and I went this route by building owner/builder. We hired subs for the excavation, concrete, framing, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and drywall. We did all the finishes both exterior and interior ourselves. We worked 9 months at least 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. I think if we could only work at night or on the weekends, it would have taken at least 5 more months to finish. Don't underestimate what back-breaking work construction is. I didn't really consider it fun, but I know my husband enjoyed the process. Also, if you are going to build yourself, you will need a lot of expensive tools and equipment. We spent $1,600.00 just on a lift for four days so we could put the siding on the outside of the house 30 feet in the air. We had to learn how to do a lot of things that we had never done before such as install insulation and lay brick. You will have to be the one to estimate the quantity of materials, find out where to get the materials, find the best price, and then go get them. This aspect of construction is much more involved and time-consuming than people think. I think if you are young and able, have buddies that will help you, are realistic about the "fun" factor of building and the time involved, then it's definitely doable.