Vertors.comHow to Pour a Footing
How to pour a footing laying the block in the wet concrete.
Better yet: Why pour a footing laying the block into the wet concrete!
Laying the first course of block while the concrete is wet is a tried and true time saver. It takes a bit of extra effort to “first course a footing” but the time it takes up front is paid back ten fold when it comes time to lay the wall.
I first ran into this technique in California in 1982. It is still a popular method of making a “Key Way” in the bottom of a footing. Since the first course is actually embedded into the footing it surpasses standard footings in that it actually integrates the literal wall into the top couple inches of the footing.
As a production tool, “first coursing” is a time saver in that since the first course, bond, level and steps are all set exactly to your block dimensions, all a masonry crew need do is come in raise up some leads and begin to lay as though it were just another lift. In normal conditions the footings are not flat at best (using extra mortar time and labor) and the steps may have deviated a bit from a good “story elevation”. Using a first coursing method however, the masons walk up to a perfectly flat wall ready to go with the bond (halfs and whole block all laid out) laid out and ready to go.
This is almost as good as a precast footing!
