HOMETIME, one of television’s longest-running home improvement programs, will feature the use of hollow-core structural precast panels from Hanson Structural Precast in the weekly PBS episode scheduled for release on April 13, 2013. HOMETIME episodes are aired both on public television and in syndication across the country.
Hosted by Dean Johnson, the episode is one in a multi-part series on the building of Creekside Home, a 3,700 square foot, story and a half cottage-style home designed by Sharratt Design Company, Excelsior, Minnesota, and being built in a wooded suburb west of Minneapolis. In addition to showcasing the installation of the hollow core plank, the episode will also feature a video tour of the Hanson precast plant.
Provided by the Hanson Midwest Region, Maple Grove, Minnesota, facility, the precast hollow core planks are being used to create a welcoming front porch and to serve as the floor of the home’s three-car garage, allowing useable basement space beneath the garage.
By handling the garage loads, use of the precast planks allows a home’s basement to extend under the garage. This, says architect Mike Sharratt, would add extensive livable space that is ideal for storage, work space, or to accommodate a billiard or ping pong table, home office, or TV/home entertainment room. On the show home, the lower level will contain both a small guest suite and a rec room/home theater.
Hanson prestressed hollow-core planks are machine-extruded on 750-foot long beds, in 40-inch widths, and in 4, 6, 6, 10, and 12-inch thicknesses. After curing, desired lengths are cut from the bed and stored, ready for shipment to the job site. The planks can be installed side-by-side to form a continuous floor or roof slab.
