Shuttering and formwork for walls, columns, slabs and foundations
Concrete shuttering and timber formwork for foundations, footings, walls, columns, beams, slabs and retaining walls, planned alongside reinforcement and concreting. Request a quote.
What’s involved
MCMurdie Contracts LTD sets up the formwork that shapes your concrete: foundations and footings, walls and columns, beams and slabs, and retaining walls. Because we also do the steel fabrication, reinforced concrete and groundworks, the formwork can be planned with the rebar and the pour as one job instead of three separate trades.
Good to know
What formwork does
Formwork is the temporary mould that holds wet concrete in shape until it can carry its own weight. It has to hold dimensions and line, resist the pressure of fresh concrete without bulging or leaking grout, and leave the surface finish the job needs. Once the concrete is strong enough it is struck, meaning taken down, and the timber can often be cleaned and used again.
Wall and column shuttering
Wall forms are two faces of sheeting on studs and walings, held apart by ties and braced so they stay plumb. Fresh concrete pushes hardest near the bottom of the form, and the faster a wall is poured the higher that pressure gets, so pour rate and tie spacing are decided together. A small kicker cast first at the base helps keep the next lift aligned.
Beam and slab formwork
Suspended slabs and beams need soffit formwork supported on props or falsework until the concrete can span on its own. The supports must sit on firm, level ground or sole plates, because any settlement shows up in the finished soffit. Edge forms set the slab thickness, and openings and service penetrations are boxed out before the pour so nothing has to be cut out afterwards.
More to know
Foundations, footings and retaining walls
Where the ground is stable enough, strip footings are sometimes cast straight against the trench sides. Where it isn't, or where a clean edge or step is needed, the footings are shuttered. Retaining walls need forms that can take a tall pour, with the reinforcement for the wall stem tied into the base, and weep holes or drainage details formed at the pour stage rather than drilled later.
Surface finish and reinforcement cover
The shutter face decides how the concrete looks. Sawn boards leave a board-marked texture, while plywood gives a smoother, more even face. Release agent stops the concrete bonding to the form. Spacers hold the rebar at the specified cover so it is protected from corrosion, and tie positions are worked out in advance because they leave visible holes in a fair-faced finish.
Temporary works and standards
Formwork and falsework count as temporary works. On larger jobs they are designed and checked under BS 5975, the code of practice for temporary works, often with a named temporary works coordinator. BS EN 13670 covers how concrete structures are built, including tolerances and when formwork can be struck. If an engineer has specified a finish class or striking criteria, include them when you ask for a price.
Why people choose us
Formwork, steel and concrete from one contractor
The same team fixes the reinforcement, sets the shutters and places the concrete, so there's no waiting for one trade to finish before the next arrives.
Shutters built around your drawings
The formwork is set out to the engineer's or architect's details, including levels, openings, steps and cast-in items, and checked before any concrete arrives.
Poured in the right order
Groundworks, footings, walls and slabs follow in the right sequence, planned around the rest of the build.
Straight to the contractor
You speak to the people doing the work, so questions about setting out or finish get answered directly.
Other services
Questions
Have a specific question about your drawings or structural package? Call directly or request a quote.
Do you supply and fix formwork for walls, columns and slabs?
Yes. We shutter walls, columns, beams and slabs, along with foundations, footings and retaining walls, using timber and traditional formwork systems.
Can you work to an engineer's drawings?
Yes. Send us the structural drawings and any specification. Setting out, reinforcement cover, finish and the details of openings and cast-in items are taken from them.
Can you do the reinforcement and concreting as well?
Yes. Reinforced concrete and steel fabrication are both part of what we do, so the formwork, rebar and pour can be handled as one package.
Do you work for main contractors as well as private clients?
Yes. We take work from main contractors and developers, as well as from self-builders and homeowners who need foundations or concrete structures.
What should I send when asking for a quote?
Drawings or sketches with dimensions, the elements to be cast, any finish requirements, what the site access is like and your preferred timing. Then use the Request a quote form.
Get in touch
Get in touch
Direct contractor contact. Send drawings or call to discuss foundations, steel fabrication, or concrete work.