

BLOCK & BEAM CONSTRUCTION, Inc.
We have been in the foundation replacement and repair business since 1984 and have installed basement egress windows for the past 18 years.
FOUNDATIONS: We have the equipment and experience to replace one wall or all of them at the same time. YES, you can live in your home while the work is being done. We do not have to lift the home to do the work.
The castle owners in Germany should have called
Block & Beam Construction, Inc.
STABILZING WALLS: If you prefer to have the walls stabilized and not replaced we can
install steel I-beams, a popular solution in this area.
OR better yet
Fortress stabilization carbon straps work very well for rooms that are going to be finished off or in places where I-beams are not functional. These carbon straps are strong like steel and take very little space, can be painted over or easily paneled over. They work on both block and poured concrete walls.
By using the Fortress carbon straps we are often able to "save" foundation walls that would
otherwise have to be replaced, thus saving the property owner thousands of dollars.
Installation does not require holes in the ceiling, floor, or yard. 
WWW.FORTRESSSTABILIZATION.COM
EGRESS WINDOWS: Most of our egress window installations are in basement bedrooms where the owners want to make the rooms safe, legal and add sales value to their home when that time comes. In Lincoln there are strict codes requirements for these installations.
Some home owners want to add daylight and value by installing daylight windows in their 
recreation rooms. In these rooms there are very few code issues.
The windows can be casement, that is crank out similar to opening a door, double-hung, slide 



up and down or sliders, side ways.
Keep in mind that Lincoln building codes require eight per-cent of the floor space to be in 


glass, up to 11.5 square feet.. It doesn't have to be one window and doesn't count the closet floor space. There are addtional requirements. We take out the building permit and arrange for final inspections.
We use wet saws to prevent dust when cutting the opening. No dust.
We have a three man crew. George is on his 8th year, Ruben his 13th year and Alex is on
his 20th year. They work very well as a team and clean up behind themselves. We 









consistently get compliments from our customers on their work ethic.
FREEBIES: Limestone rocks, old style blocks and smooth blocks and dirt are free for the 


taking. Broken pieces and rubble make good land fill. When we have these materials 

available we post them on Craig's List under the "free category".
Want to know more about us? Call BBB, call other contractors in the yellow pages, ask
questions.
WANT TO SAVE DOLLARS ON YOUR FOUNDATION?
1, It is obvious, but keep your gutters clean and drain as far away from your foundation
as you can.
2. Build up the drainage with a slope away from your foundation when possible.
3. When installing new gutters use five inches. Four inch gutters are pathetic.
4. Those black plastic boarders that many people place close to their foundation?
They help block drainage. Waters goes down, connects with that wonderful clay
soil and pushes against your walls, often causing buckling and cracks.
We have five types of clay soil in this area and all of them expand and shrink with moisture or dryness.
BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME. WATCH OUT FOR THESE ITEMS:
1. Look closely at the basement windows. Are they tipped inward at the bottom or
slightly out of line. If the walls are covered with sheet rock or paneling the tipped
windows are an excellent indication of bowed walls. Smart sellers will be willing to let
you have a look behind the panels with no strings attached.
Take a long string line, have your spouse-friend hold one end and line it up
next to the foundation corner to corner. This will help identify bowing.
2. Walls are exposed? Looking fresh white and nifty? Look at the joints. They should
be smooth. In the older homes many of these joints have been covered over. It
is easy to detect if you know what to look for. It doesn't mean you shouldn't buy the home, just be alert.
3. Is the home located down hill? Be careful.
Having a foundation wall replaced?
1. City building codes have strict requirements about the size and placement of re-bars.
2. Re-bars should connect the footings to the new wall and the new wall to the sill plates.
3. Block cores with re-bars need to be filled with concrete slurry with a slump from 10 inches to 12 inches.
4. DO NOT LET the contractor slug your block cores with mortar.
5. There is a big difference between water proofing and water repellent.