ESTIMATING CONCRETE WORK - II

Estimating Foundation Walls

BY EDWARD G. LE JEINE*
In this, the second in my series on estimating concrete
work, well examine foundation walls bearing on footings
and directly on compacted earth. Well also discuss under-
pinning an existing foundation wall and how to estimate the
form area and concrete for piers below grade and for build-
ing slabs on fill.
Readers should refer back to the Outline for Concrete Esti-
mating which appeared on page 210 of the June, 1967, Is-
sue of CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
Foundation walls
On foundation walls I take off the quantities for forms
(in 4-foot heights), 2 by 4 keys, slab seat bearing and con-
crete. After the word forms I place the words in 4-foot
heights in brackets. I separate my forms every 4 feet by
height for pricing and I use one price for material and la-
bor for walls up to 4 feet high. From 4 feet to 8 feet, I use
higher prices. From 8 feet to 12 feet, 12 feet to 16 feet and
over I use increasingly higher unit prices per square foot
of wall forms. I do this because more bracing is required
for higher walls and the additional cost is in both labor
and material. A lot of contractors dont believe in break-
ing up their foundation wall takeoffs into different
heights but actually it makes a tremendous difference.
For example, if a 4-foot-high wall form is on a footing, I

Foundation Walls on Footings

Lineal Feet
Square Feet Slab Seat Cubic Feet Estimated
Description Number Dimensions Forms Bearing Concrete Quantity Unit

3A. Foundation Walls on Footings W x H x L 2HxL L WxHxL

Line A - 1-0 x3-6 x 78 546 - 273
Line B - 1-2 1/2x7-10x 40 627 - 380
Bsmt: (at Brick Ledge) 1-0 x9-6 x156 2964 - 1482
Bsmt: (for Brick Ledge) 0-4 x3-0 x156 468 - ( - 156 )=Form 1 side
Bsmt: Seat Bearing 0-4 x0-6 x156 - 156 ( - 26 )
Bsmt: Door Box-Out 1-0 x7-0 x 4 18 - ( - 28 )
Bsmt: Window
Box-Outs 6 x 0-8 x3-0 x 4 60 - ( - 48 )
-3
4680X 156X 1877X = Concrete = 70 Cubic Yards
27
4x6 Slab Seat Bearing = 156 Lineal Feet
0 to 4 H. Forms = 1070 Square Feet
4 to 8 H. Forms = 650 Square Feet
8 to 12 H. Forms = 2960 Square Feet
468 Square Feet x 1/2/Square Feet + 10% = Dove-Tail Slots for Brick Ledge = 260 Lineal Feet

The above walls represent typical conditions. Line A is a typical wall below frost line. Line B shows that a wall is measured
to the fraction of an inch for width and to the closest inch for height. The basement walls show that where a brick ledge
exists, the wall must be figured the full height of 9 feet 6 inches. Then add in additional forms for the brick ledge area and
subtract the concrete.
Slab seat bearing is figured in lineal feet and then you must subtract for the concrete. Door and window box-outs have the
additional forms added and again you must subtract for the concrete openings. The deductions for the concrete are in
parenthesis to call attention to the subtraction. The slab seat bearing is listed in lineal feet for ease in pricing and is not
added into stripping and cleaning of forms. All walls are listed in the same takeoff and separated into 4-foot variations in
height in the last column for ease in pricing when they are extended to the recap sheet.
Dove-tail slots for nailing to forms (for brick anchorage) are also easily picked up at this time. If the foundation walls have
pilasters on them, add in the additional formwork and concrete for the pilasters and mark that section of wall (for example)
0-foot to 4-foot-high forms with pilasters. The cost will be figured higher for this section of wall both for material and
labor.

figure a carpenter will erect about 300 square feet a day
If the wall form runs between 4 feet and 8 feet high, a
carpenter can erect about 250 square feet a day; from 8
feet to 12 feet, a carpenter can erect about 160 square
feet a day. This will give you some idea of the difference
between a 4-foot-high and 12-foot-high wall, as far as
erection labor alone is concerned. Of course, the
amount of bracing material required increases with the
height of the wall. These figures are for erection labor
only. They do not include removing the forms. I figure
form stripping separately because I always figure labor-
er time only for stripping. This isnt always possible, be-
cause theoretically the carpenters are supposed to do
the stripping if the formwork is going to be reused on the
job. But most of the time laborers do it.
For erection of forms, however, I figure a ratio of one
carpenter to one-half of a laborers time. My cost per day
for a carpenter always includes one-half a days time for
a laborer. If a carpenter is to set up 300 square feet of
forms per day then on that job he needs one-half of a day
of laborers time to help him. The time might be spent
handling forms and lumber, unloading trucks, or other
ways of helping the carpenter. The figuring of produc-
tion per carpenter per day, the cost of a carpenter and la-
borer ratio and how to apply them will be discussed ful-
ly later. At present, I will confine the discussion to getting
the quantity takeoff properly accomplished. Now,
should you take off wall columns separately or should
you take them off as part of the wall? It depends on how
big the column is and how much extra work it causes. If
its a lot of work, take it off separately and call it a column
to put it into the correct price bracket. If it is only about
4 inches wider than the wall by about 1 foot long, call it
a pilaster and include the forms and concrete with the
wall. If a wall has pilasters every 20 feet apart they are not
a large enough cost item to take off separately. Figure the
wall forms straight through the pilasters and then take
off the pilasters separately and let the formwork double
up. This simplifies the takeoff, and the extra forms will
pay the differential of your pilaster cost. When I price
wall forms with pilasters I also deduct 10 percent from

Grade Beam Walls

2 feet
Minimum Width
Hand
Excvation
Area Square Feet Cubic Feet Estimated
Description Number Dimensions Square Feet Forms Concrete Quantity Unit

3B. Grade Beam Walls: WxHxL (W+1)xL 2HxL WxHxL

Line A - 1 x3 x 50 100 300 150
Line B - 0-8 x6 x150 300 1800 600
Line C - 1-4 1/2x7-l1x 83 197 1314 901
Line D - 1-6 x8-6 x154 385 2618 1964
-2 -2
980X 6030X 3615X = Concrete 134 Cubic Yards
27
Hand Excavation Area = 980 Square Feet
0 to 4 H. Forms = 300 Square Feet
4 to 8 H. Forms = 3110 Square Feet
8 to 12 H. Forms = 2620 Square Feet

All walls that bear directly on earth belong under this group. They are separated from foundation walls on footings be-
cause of the need for hand excavation and also because a 2 by 6 leveling plate is usually needed on the ground before
the forms are set. The cost of this leveling plate is most easily put in the wall forming unit prices. Line A shows a typical
grade beam on caissons; line B shows a wall less than 12 inches. Line C is shown to illustrate that the width is carried to
the closest fraction of an inch, the height to the closest inch and the length to the closest foot. Line D shows a wall over
8 feet high.
 UInderpinning

Cubic Feet
Hand Square Feet Square Feet Cubic Feet Estimated
Description Number Dimensions Excavation Forms Concrete Quantity Unit

D
3C. Underpinning: WxHxL WxHxL HxL WxHxL
Hand Excavation 4 x 4 x24 192
From 45 Line }
2
Wall 1-6 x 4 x 24 144 96 144
Footing 2-0 x 1-6 x 24 - 36 72
Footing Excavation - 3-0 x 1-6 x 24 108 -2
444 130 216X
27 = Concrete 8 Cubic Yards
Forms = 130 Square Feet
444 27 = Hand Excavation = 17 Cubic Yards
2 x 4 Keys = 24 Lineal Feet

To underpin an existing foundation wall the work is usually done in alternate 4-foot-long sections as shown on elevation A-
A. All sections marked 1 are completed before the sections marked 2 are started. If the architect shows every third section
to be done at one time for additional safety, it merely makes three separate operations of underpinning.
The hand excavation must be figured from an estimated machine excavation line usually at a 45 degree angle from the bot-
tom of the existing wall. This is slow work because the section of the wall is only 4 feet long and it is important not to dis-
turb the ground beyond the inside of the existing wall. Forms are figured for one side of the wall and footing. The concrete
footing is usually regular concrete and the wall is specified to be a dry-pack concrete. Sometimes the wall is regular con-
crete stopped about 4 inches below the existing wall and allowed to set up and take its initial shrinkage.
The top 4 inches under the existing wall is then packed with a dry-pack grout which has little or no shrinkage upon drying.
The quantities are calculated as if the underpinning would all be done at one time.
All of these quantities must be clearly marked for underpinning on the recap sheet so that the pricing estimator can make
an allowance for the slow work in his labor units because only 4 foot lengths of wall and footing can be done at each place.

the erection time used in figuring a straight wall without
pilasters.
Grade beamsfoundation walls without a concrete
footing under themmust be treated separately. I take
them off separately, because I include the cost of a mud
sill in the square feet of wall area. I do this by figuring 10
percent more in the material cost and 10 percent less in
the square feet erected per day. For simplicity in pricing,
take off a seat bearing on a wall for slabs by total lineal
feet. These usually run about 4 inches by 6 inches. If they
are not too high, brick ledges in walls should also be tak-
en off for pricing by the lineal foot. If brick ledges run 2
feet or more in height, it will most likely be necessary to
place one form inside another. In other words, youll
have to double-form the wall. The best way to account
for this in takeoff is to double the form area. Be sure to
deduct the concrete volume for this area. Once again, we
are trying to be most accurate on the concrete volume
because concrete makes up a high percent of the total
cost of the estimate. I take off a retaining wall with a bat-
tered face as follows: I start first with the straight side of
the retaining wall. This falls in the regular price for wall
forming work. Then take off the battered face separate-
ly. This is a distinct problem. You can erect the straight
wall and brace the other end off of it, but still that bat-
tered face is a special problem as far as getting the labor
into your cost. When figuring your labor to erect the bat-
tered face, reduce the production output per day on it by
about 20 percent from what you would figure on a
straight wall of the same height. In wall forming takeoff
work, it is very important for the takeoff estimator to
have notations as to the type of work that must be
priced. This is needed whether he prices it himself, or
more importantly, if the work will be priced by another
estimator.
The form area for walls is twice the height times the
length. The concrete volume in cubic feet is the height
times the length times the thickness, all in feet, of course.
No deduction for reinforcing steel should ever be made
from the concrete volume. In listing walls on the takeoff
sheet the length should be given to the closest foot, the
height to the closest inch and the thickness to the frac-
tion of an inch. A wall that is 1 1/2 inches thick should be
figured as a decimal of 1.04 feet thick. These are neces-
sary to get the correct concrete quantities. These same
rules apply, in general, for all concrete takeoff work.
Piers below grade
Estimating form area and concrete for piers below
Piers Below Grade
Description Number Dimensions
4. PiersBelowGrade: WxLxH
F1 6 x 1 x 1 x2-6
F2 3 x 1 x 1 x3-0
F3 2 x 1 -0 x1 -4x5-9
F4 2 x 0-10x1-6x5-9
13
At Slab: 1/2x5 Expansion Joint
grade is relatively simple. Piers below grade are piers that
will have earth backfill around them. These piers can be
formed with rough lumber and this is why they are kept
separately from columns. The formwork is twice the
width plus twice the length times the height, or once
again, the contact area. The concrete volume is the
width times the length times the height.
Building slabs on fill
Under this category I include sand fill, edge forms, ex-
pansion joints, finish area and concrete. The sand fill is
the area of the slab times the thickness of the sand bed.
However, you must add 25 percent to the actual volume
youve figured for sand fill, or crushed stone. This is for
compaction and loss in handling and is very important.
Edge forms are listed by the height in total lineal feet.
Expansion joints are listed by the thickness and height
in total lineal feet. The finish area is the total area of the
slab. The concrete is the area of the slab times the thick-
ness in a decimal of a foot, i.e., 5 inches is .42 feet. When
figuring concrete for a slab on fill add 3 percent for
waste. You should also be sure to consider vapor barri-
ers, screed material and curing and protection items.
Square Foot Cubic Foot Estimated
Forms Concrete Quantity Unit
(2W+2L).H WxLxH
60 15
36 9
54 16
54 16
-4
200X 56X = Concrete 3 Cubic Yards
27
(13) Forms 200 Square Feet
56 Lineal Feet
The form material for piers below grade is usually
1-inch dimension lumber and not expensive but the
labor of forming piers is high because of the small
area of forms per pier. Therefore, they must be tak-
en off as a separate item. The labor of casting piers
is high because of the small amount of concrete
per pier. Marking the number of piers to be formed
(13) is important. It tells the pricing estimator the
average square feet of forms per pier (15 square
feet). If the pricing estimator allows one hour car-
penter time per pier then he can figure (8 hours
times 15 square feet) or 120 square feet of pier
erection per day. In fact the number of piers to be
erected sets the allowance for forming labor in
square feet per day. The 1/2-inch by 5-inch expan-
sion joint around the piers at the slab is most easi-
ly taken off under this item.
 Building Slabs on Fill
Square Feet Cubic Feet Estimated
Description Number Dimensions Area Concrete Quantity Unit

5. Bldg. Slabs on Fill: WxLxD WxL WxLxD

E. Wing 40 x 63 x 0-5 2520 1059
Center 44 x 36 x 0-5 1584 666
W. Wing 40x63 x 0-5 2 520 1059
Boiler Room 21 x 21 x 0-8 441 296
Entries 2 x 6 x 8-6 x 0-6 102 51
3
7170X 3131X
27 = Concrete 116 Cubic Yards
Hand Grade Earth Under Fill = 7170 Square Feet
7170 Square Feet x 6 = 3585 Cubic Feet = 133 Cubic Yards + 25% Compaction = 6 Sand Fill = 166 Cubic Yards
(10% Added for Lap) = .006 Polyethylene Vapor Barrier = 7900 Square Feet
Finish Slabs = 717 Square Feet
6 H. Edge Forms = 42 Lineal Fee
1/2 x 5 H. Expansion Joints = 672 Lineal Feet
1/2 X 8 H. Expansion Joints = 8 Lineal Feet

Building slabs at different elevations such as basement

floors and slabs at ground floor level should be kept sep-
arate because of the different labor cost per cubic yard
for placing these slabs.
If all slabs are of the same thickness, only the quantity
for the areas should be extended, and the concrete
quantity may be obtained by multiplying the total area by
the slab thickness. An estimator should always look
ahead for any time-saving step that he can use.
The hand grading of earth under fill is only needed when
the ground is excavated to provide for the slab. If the
slab is to be placed on fill material furnished under the excavation specifications, then the work required of the concrete
contractor would be the final hand grading of the fill material under the slab. Whenever a fill is specified such as a 6-inch
sand bed under the slab, this should be figured in cubic yards to which should be added 25 percent to cover compaction
and loss in delivery. The polyethylene vapor barrier should have 10 percent added to the area required, to take care of laps
and waste. The necessary edge forming is easily taken off from the drawings at this time and listed to the closest lineal
foot. Expansion joints are obtained by referring to both drawings and specs, and should be listed to the closest lineal foot.

Figure a vapor barrier under the slab by taking the total should be done. This is one more timesaver on your
area plus 10 percent for lap and waste. Screed material takeoff time.
and curing and protection items are priced by the
square feet of slabs. Membrane curing is the exact slab
area, but if paper or polyethylene materials are used add
* The author, a civil engineering graduate from the Uni-
10 percent for lap and waste. Most of these items are in-
versity of Notre Dame, has been estimating concrete
cluded under the last part of recapping, miscellaneous
work for the past 17 years. For eight of these years, Mr.
items. They can generally be picked out from the take-
Le Jeune was president of his own estimating ser vice.
off sheet without referring to the drawings. However, any
The author presently is associated with the W.E. ONeil
items that you can pick off the drawings as you go along
Construction Company, Chicago, Illinois.

PUBLICATION #C670249
Copyright 1967, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved