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Question for contractors of home builders or anyone who has built a home in the winter or might know about foundations.
We live in a subdivision that is still being built. We have had some very low temps lately (we're in the Chicagoland area) and noticed that the builder poured several foundations a few days ago when the temperature was 4F! The temp for the day did not get above 10F. Later that day at the kids bus stop a neighbor who moved in a month ago stated that at their closing the builder made her sign a form stating that they were aware that their foundation was poured during the winter.
I was always under the impression that a concrete foundation should not be poured in temps colder than 20F. Am I wrong? Is there a different type of concrete being used now that allows it to be poured in extreme cold weather? And if so, why would the builder have the homeowners sign a form acknowledging the fact it was poured in these temps? If you were building a house would you allow your foundation to be poured when it's almost zero out and snowing?
You can use a different mix for cold weather pouring, but the main thing is the have to protect the concrete and keep it warm especially after the first night. Have the pit down blankets on the foundation or done anything different?
In Alaska any winter work like that is done under a covering of visqueen that's heated. I'm guessing that someone got paid off to look the other way. It is the Chicago area, after all.
In my area, the temperature limits are 36F and rising as the coldest, 96F and falling as the hottest. Most of our slabs are a spring and summer time pour. Most commonly due to the heat during the summer, we start our slab pours at 3AM. Makes for a LONG day. We don't get a lot of single digit temps here but if I don't see temps at 36F or warmer for at least 24 hours, we don't pour.
If the builder made buyers sign a disclosure that the foundation was poured in winter, this reeks like a major CYA on their part! They must have hired a lawyer to find some loophole to avoid getting sued if the foundations fail.
If the builder made buyers sign a disclosure that the foundation was poured in winter, this reeks like a major CYA on their part! They must have hired a lawyer to find some loophole to avoid getting sued if the foundations fail.
his was my thinking exactly! We have built 2 homes prior and both builders didn't pour foundations from October to March here, so when I saw them pouring here sub zero temps in December, January and this month I couldn't believe it! Especially after I heard about signing the disclosure. Doesn't seem right to me!
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If the builder made buyers sign a disclosure that the foundation was poured in winter, this reeks like a major CYA on their part! They must have hired a lawyer to find some loophole to avoid getting sued if the foundations fail. 
