Most Popular

• 10 Tips for Foundation Drainage

  Keeping water drained away from home foundations is important for three reasons.

   
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  Residential Tilt-Up Construction

  For commercial construction it's hard to beat the cost, quality, and versatility of tilt-up construction. Now, tilt-up contractors and designers are teaming up to produce unique residential structures.

   
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  Building with AAC

  AAC is beginning to catch on in the United States, where there are now three AAC manufacturing plants with several more planned. This represents a serious commitment since the cost of a plant to produce AAC blocks and panels is high.

   

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Below the Grade

• Backfilling

  Recommendations and code requirements regarding backfill of newly poured basements are one of the most ignored aspects of foundation construction. The International Residential Code, ACI 332 Standard, and the CFA Standard all state that foundation walls must be supported at the top and bottom...

   

• Below the Grade: Mix Design for Foundation Walls

  Mix design is based on knowledge of the materials, experience, and testing. If job conditions are different from lab conditions, the trials should extend to the field to replicate job conditions.

   
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  Insulating Basements—Truths and Myths

  Today's concrete foundation contractors are well equipped to offer a variety of insulation options to suit the builder, homeowner, site conditions, or any other variable that may place limits on the construction of the home.

   

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Concrete Outdoors

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  Hardscapes in the Landscape

  Landscaping is no longer the traditional focus on plantings, turf, and irrigation. Clients are now demanding sophisticated hardscapes that encompass many factions of the concrete industry. This can range from water features constructed with either shotcrete or concrete, concrete pavers, cast...

   
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  Engraving Concrete—Unlimited Color and Design

  A simple concept such as cutting a line into concrete with diamond blades and reciprocating impactors produces attractive geometric and complex curvilinear forms.

   
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  Computer Dispensed Integral Color

  With computer-dispensed color accuracy can be gained across doses, a large array of colors now is available, and a streamlined process helps ready-mix producers and supply houses offer a quality product.

   

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Engineering Details

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  Brick Ledges for ICF Homes

  When brick veneer is used as an exterior finish for an insulating concrete form (ICF) home, a cavity wall is recommended to manage moisture penetration.

   
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  Cast-In-Place Retaining Walls

  Removable concrete forms can create a vertical concrete retaining wall with almost any shape desired. Large walls and special situations require design by a professional engineer. The typical installation procedure for a simple retaining wall less than 4 feet tall on good soil is described in this...

   
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  Face-mounted windows in cast concrete walls

  The most common window installation combines a window buck for the rough opening and a face-mounted flanged window.

   

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Technology Brief

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  Concrete Basements

  Basements are a valuable part of any new home, with benefits far outweighing the costs. About half of all new homes in North America are built with basements, and the rest could be. Concrete is the material of choice for basement construction, with 98% of North American basements built of one of...

   

• Federal Energy Tax Provisions

  The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005 H.R.6) created tax incentives for energy-efficiency measures in buildings or systems placed in service from Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2008.

   

• Qualities Homeowners Want Most

  Concrete masonry provides a home with superior comfort, solidity, durability, resistance to natural disasters, quietness, and energy efficiency.

   

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