Benefits of Utilizing Pre-Cast Concrete

Pre Cast Concrete 101

The advantages of using precast concrete. (Photo Credits)

Precast concrete is one way to fully utilize concrete in any construction project. There are a host of benefits of using this multi-purpose material and these benefits are greatly appreciated by the construction industry.

The website Daily Civil explained further how precast concrete is made. “As the name suggest, precast concrete is prepared by casting and curing the concrete https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete in a mold under specific circumstances. The concrete is totally manufactured in a factory by adopting special construction techniques. When the concrete is fully hardened and prepared, it is sent to the final construction site.”

Check out the rest of the explanation here.

Advantages of using precast concrete

The BIBM – European Federation for Precast Concrete came up with an article explaining the many advantages of using precast concrete. One of the benefits that they highlighted is its versatility. National Ready Mix Concrete Association                

“Factory production allows a wide choice of surface finishing, colour range and special shapes. Precast concrete has another advantage: its mouldability which entails designers to copy classical details like keystones and capitals or match the finish of materials like weathered stones. The precast concrete industry can source a wide range of aggregates locally and offer a tremendous variety of colours and visual effects.”

Read the nine other advantages here.

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Precast.org also came up with its own list of the many advantages of using precast concrete. One of which is its being thermally efficient. “Costs associated with heating and cooling can be greatly reduced through concrete’s thermal mass benefits. Reduced peak heating and cooling loads can be achieved because concrete reacts slowly to changes in outside temperature.”

Read the rest of the advantages here.

Precast concrete indeed has a lot of advantages!

The Pros and Cons of Concrete Fences

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How to Fix Concrete Cracks

What to do with cracks in concrete

When concrete walls crack. (Photo Credits)

Concrete may be one of the most durable construction material on earth, but it also has its share of weakness which can usually be traced into human intervention. Cracks in concrete can happen, but the good thing is that it can be fixed.

Concrete Network tried to explain why concrete can crack.

“Concrete does not require much water to achieve maximum strength. But a wide majority of concrete used in residential work has too much water added to the concrete on the job site. This water is added to make the concrete easier to install. This excess water also greatly reduces the strength of the concrete. Shrinkage is a main cause of cracking. As concrete hardens and dries it shrinks. This is due to the evaporation of excess mixing water. The wetter or soupier the concrete mix, the greater the shrinkage will be. Concrete slabs can shrink as much as 1/2 inch per 100 feet. This shrinkage causes forces in the concrete which literally pull the slab apart. Cracks are the end result of these forces.”

Read about the other possible reasons here.

Step by Step Guide to Fixing Cracks in Concrete

The DIY Network meantime came up with a step-by-step guide in fixing cracks in concrete walls.

“Use a cold chisel and a hammer to get rid of any large pieces in the crack. Hold the chisel at an angle and pound with the hammer to chisel out the crack. This is called “keying” the hole to make the base or inside of the crack bigger than it is at the surface. Keying helps the new patching material bond with the old crack.”

Read the succeeding steps here.

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The website This Old House also shared some tips on how to fix cracking concrete in older homes.

They however ask their readers to be cautious about the types of cracks that they repair on their own. National Ready Mix Concrete Association  

“If you notice large, recurring cracks or bulging walls at your house, don’t try to fix these conditions yourself. The cracks might indicate a more serious structural problem; call in a structural engineer for an in-depth evaluation.”

Read the continuation of this post here.

Cracks on the wall should be examined when needed to ensure the safety and the structural integrity of any home or commercial establishment.

Designing Concrete Tables

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Designing Concrete Tables

Concrete Table Making

Can be plain, can be fancy, but definitely heavy duty and weather proof. (Photo Credits)

Making a concrete table should not be complicated. In fact some “handy” homeowners have tried making their own respective concrete tables and have been successful towards it.

Home Depot came out with an instructional on how to make a concrete table. National Ready Mix Concrete Association          

“I’ve seen several great blog posts about DIY concrete countertops. I figured if it’s durable enough for a kitchen counter, it would certainly be a great solution for a durable table top. I liked this solution for several reasons. It’s extremely cost effective, and relatively easy to do from everything I had read. From a design perspective, I loved that it added a new texture to my space and gave the eye relief from all the dark wood in my dining room. The natural grey color just happens to work well with my home. But you can dye the concrete any color to coordinate with your decor– another plus!”

Read the whole instructional here.

Durable and Strong

DIY Projects with Pete also published in its website a very detailed step-by-step instructional on how to make DIY Concrete Tables.

“Concrete furniture looks amazing and really is cheap to do. Tables can be made without expensive or specialty tools and will jazz up your home or office in no time! I’ve built many tables and desks using these exact same processes. This tutorial will explain how to make a concrete table top for any sized table you’d like to build.”

Check out the whole tutorial here.

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Concrete Network meantime elaborated on the many furniture pieces that can be made out of concrete. Concrete tables are one of these furniture pieces.

“Welcome to the new age of decorative concrete—a time when you’re as likely to encounter a concrete dining table, bench, bookcase, counter top or chair as you are a concrete patio. More furniture designers and artisans are abandoning wood and other traditional furniture materials and using concrete to build one-of-a-kind pieces that bring a unique sense of style to homes and businesses, indoors and out. For those of us new to or even skeptical about the concept of concrete furniture, here’s a look at why it’s becoming so popular, who’s making it, some misconceptions about concrete furniture, and the endless ways you can use concrete to blend with or complement any décor.”

Check out the whole article plus the photos here.

Having a firewall is important in ensuring the safety of lives and property.

The Benefits of having a Concrete Firewall

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The Benefits of having a Concrete Firewall

Cemented Firewall 101

Why it is important to have a concrete firewall. (Photo Credits)

Having a firewall can spell the difference between risking lives and losing possessions as against being safe should fires should the property next to one’s own catches fire.

The website PDH Online gave a definition of a concrete  firewall.

“A firewall is a fire‐resistant structure which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously from the foundation to or through the roof with sufficient structural stability under fire conditions to allow the collapse of the existing construction on either side of the wall to occur without allowing the collapse of the wall. So basically a firewall creates separate independent buildings.” Read the continuation of this text here.

Concrete Firewall as a Barrier

WikiPedia also has an entry about concrete firewalls. National Ready Mix Concrete Association      

“Fire barrier walls are typically continuous from an exterior wall to an exterior wall, or from a floor below to a floor or roof above, or from one fire barrier wall to another fire barrier wall, having a fire resistance rating equal to or greater than the required rating for the application. Fire barriers are continuous through concealed spaces (e.g., above a ceiling) to the floor deck or roof deck above the barrier. Fire partitions are not required to extend through concealed spaces if the construction assembly forming the bottom of the concealed space, such as the ceiling, has a fire resistance rating at least equal to or greater than the fire partition.”

Read the rest of the entry here.

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The Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association also shared more information on concrete firewalls.

​“A firewall is the ultimate defense against the spread of fire. It must be able to withstand the onslaught of a fire and prevent further fire spread by containing it to one side of the wall until the fire burns itself out, or is extinguished.”

Read the continuation here.

Having a concrete firewall can greatly help in reducing the risk of fires.

Famous Concrete Mansions

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Famous Concrete Mansions

Amazing Concrete Homes

Living in a Concrete Mansion. (Photo Credits)

When one says that a house is a “mansion,” it may already be safe to assume that it is made of concrete. After all, what is the use of having a grand home, when it is not made of one of the most durable construction material on earth?

There are a lot of famous concrete mansions in history and contemporary times. National Ready Mix Concrete Association

Trend Hunter shared some of the more famous sprawling concrete homes in one of the posts it published. “The Ipes House by StudioMK27 is located in São Paulo, Brazil. This beautiful mansion features a breathtaking pool in the backyard, and the building was built using exposed concrete.

StudioMK27 has done the impossible by using raw concrete through its design and construction of the building. From afar, this building looks like the concrete block is floating above the main floor, which is made entirely from glass. The main floor has a huge living room and dining room table, and on the upper floor there is a TV room and multiple bedrooms.” Check out the photos here.

Big Concrete Homes

Architecture Beast meantime featured a modern-day mansion which it described as a living sculpture. It has components of steel and concrete .

“As they explained us in their official release, ‘the client’s brief called for a family orientated home suitable for indoor/outdoor entertainment that maximizes the views to the north’. Nico and his talented colleagues architects drew a 1,100 square meters house, described as a “sculptural piece of architecture” which represents an extreme transformation from the previously modest single story home, into one of the best houses in the world. Since the client wanted his family home to be connected with the outdoors, every room in the house is designed to be opened towards the outdoor living space, linking the home with beautiful landscaped garden.” Read the whole material here.

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The website Matador Network meantime featured the most unique and huge homes around the globe. As usual, most of the homes featured have a concrete component.

“Since the days of the cave painting, humans have designed and lived in dwellings that reflect our social, psychological, and physical needs. The longer we exist, the more our simple caves evolve into works of art and living that not only provide relief from the elements but homes that show the ever expanding artistic nature of our species. We’ve collected 20 of the most surreal, bizarre, odd, and interesting houses on the planet. Perhaps they’ll provide inspiration for your next home.”

Check out the photo gallery here.

Concrete is one of the best, and durable building material thereis. Hence most mansions and famous earthly structures are made from it.

Advantages of Living in a Concrete Home

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Advantages of Living in a Concrete Home

Why live in a concrete house

The many benefits of living in a house made of concrete. (Photo Credits)

Living in a concrete home is almost a given nowadays, and this norm has gotten a lot of property owners to forget why concrete is the foremost choice of material for most home builders and their respective contractors.

There are many benefits of living in a concrete home. The Concrete Network enumerated this in one of the articles it published. It highlighted concrete’s energy efficiency versus other materials used to build structures. National Ready Mix Concrete Association  

“Homes built with ICF walls require about 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool than a comparable wood-frame house, based on a study of 58 single-family homes located throughout the U.S. and Canada. Half had exterior concrete walls constructed using ICFs and the other half were comparable neighboring houses with wood-frame walls. All the houses were less than 6 years old. The energy savings come from the outstanding insulating values for ICF walls (as high as R-40, compared to wood frame’s R-9 to R-15 values) and tighter construction.” Read about the other advantages they listed down here.

Strength and Durability of Concrete

Home and Garden Television meantime explained how durable concrete homes can be.

“Strength. Able to withstand 250-mile-an-hour winds and wind-borne debris, the storm resistance of concrete https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete homes is the No. 1 drawing card for people in hurricane and tornado zones, says Dave Pfanmiller of Security Building Corporation, an RCF home builder in North Carolina.” It added as well the durability factor of concrete homes. “Concrete does not harbor the insects and rot that can cause frame houses to deteriorate, Pfanmiller says. Concrete houses have a building life expectancy of centuries.”

Check out the rest of the article here.

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The World Business Council For Sustainability Development meantime highlighted the fact that Concrete is a sustainable material to use when building a home or a structure.

“It is vitally important to develop products and systems that can be used to construct more durable, energy-efficient eco-buildings, and concrete can be used to do just this. Concrete, with its strength, durability and excellent thermal mass, should be a key component in eco-buildings of today and the future. In May 2008, The Guardian in the United Kingdom featured the first zero-carbon house developed by a volume housebuilder, in which concrete plays a critical role in maintaining internal temperatures.”

Read more here.

Concrete is indeed one of the best building materials thereis.

The benefits of living in a small home

 

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The benefits of living in a small home

Advantages of tiny home living

 Why live in a tiny house? (Photo Credits)

Living in a tiny home is becoming more and more appealing to a growing number of families. And why not? It is more efficient, and less expensive to run and maintain.

The Washington Post came out with an article detailing the many benefits of downsizing into a small living space. It also wrote why more and more Americans are getting into the bandwagon. Concrete 

“Why are Americans, whose homes average about 2,200 square feet, so obsessed with tiny homes? Perhaps they are responding to the benefits tiny-house owners cite: financial and emotional freedom, a greener lifestyle, the satisfaction of building one’s own refuge…Stanton says two groups are fueling the movement: millennials, because their college loans have put traditional houses out of reach, and retiring baby boomers looking for affordable homes with minimal maintenance. Meanwhile, traditional homeowners are contributing to the trend by building tiny houses on their properties to shelter guests, family members or caregivers, or putting them on vacation land.”

Check out the rest of the material here.

Why construct a concrete tiny home

Huffington Post meantime gave its readers seven reasons to get a tiny home, as oit published an article on the seven benefits of tiny home living. “(1) Lower Mortgage Payments With less square footage and acreage comes less mortgage payments. You may be able to pay it off quicker than if you purchased a larger space. (2) Lower Maintenance Costs. While big, beautiful homes on HGTV seem like a dream, one thing the network television channel fails to present is the overall maintenance cost. With a smaller space you can do most of the maintenance work yourself and save money the cost of labor. (3) Less Hoarding. With less space, you’re less likely to hoard or have a collection of unused tchotchkes.” Check out the continuation of the list here.

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Contractors Union for Concrete 

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ABC News Go focused on the New York City example on the benefits of tiny home living. National Ready Mix Concrete Association          

“(1) Less Time Spent Cleaning. Cleaning two or three small rooms takes far less time than cleaning seven or eight large ones. Cleaning also goes faster because you don’t have knickknacks and clutter to pick up or clean around. (2) More Savings. Living in a tiny home saves money in many different ways. You don’t spend as much on heating, cooling, property taxes, or home maintenance. You save money on groceries (since you have a smaller pantry and refrigerator), and you cut idle shopping almost entirely out of the picture. (3) Higher Quality of Life. Many tiny homeowners state that their quality of life and overall happiness improved when they shed their “stuff” and started living small. There are many reasons for this: They don’t feel weighed down by all the frivolous items they used to own or a huge mortgage, and they spend less time and money cleaning and maintaining their home, which allows more time and money for leisure activities.” Read the continuation here.

Tiny home living has its own benefits. Consider living in one today.

How to get cement residue out of surfaces

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