Concrete Building

Posted by admin on June 2, 2009 under Services | Be the First to Comment

Building a home constructed from concrete often offers many benefits sometimes overlooked. Most home builders stick to the traditional route of erecting wooden homes for aesthetic and practical reasons. Concrete can be a great alternative. Concrete homes offer structural soundness, safety against harsh weather conditions, cut down on energy costs, easy to build and can reduce the amount of time it takes to build a new unit.

Concrete Building Process

There are three different ways a home can be built of concrete:

• Exterior Walls
• Interior and Exterior Walls
• Interior Walls, Exterior Walls, Ceiling and Floor

Concrete Initial Formation Step 1: Forming the Walls First, the concrete foundation slab is laid. Next, the 8ft plus aluminum forms are erected creating 4″ reinforced concrete walls and ceilings. The internal plumbing, electrical conduit and mechanical features are set to allow for future use.

Concrete Wall Formation Step 2: Pouring the Concrete Concrete is poured into the walls. In one day the concrete is dried and the aluminum forms are removed. The second level of the unit is then commenced, recreating the same process as the first floor. Each structure, including stairs, window frames, walls and ceilings are methodical introduced with ease and professionalism by a Portland concrete builder.

Concrete Foof Formation Step 3: Finishing the Exterior and Roof The roof is normally framed with conventional steel and lumber, allowing the Portland concrete building specialist to maintain flexibility in design. Additionally, the conventional roofing materials contribute to the fire retardant design and allow the house to maintain its cool in the summer time. The sides of the house can be finished with brick, stucco, siding and other materials.

Benefits of Concrete Building

• Long Lasting – building homes with concrete is not a new concept. It has been quite prevalent for the last 30 years. The concrete sections interlock and connect to one another creating a reinforced locking system. These forms are then fitted with steel rods and filled with concrete. Even in the most extreme of weather conditions, the home or building is unlikely to become unstable. Concrete is a strong protector against fire and high winds. Additionally, rain and other common forms of precipitation in the NW and Portland does little to deteriorate the concrete.

• Energy Efficient – because of the triple insulated nature of the concrete blocks (concrete sections, steel pole and poured concrete), less heat escapes during the colder months, cutting down utility costs. Typically, wood siding has half the insulated value of concrete blocks, making heat twice as likely to escape. Concrete built homes are sometimes a nice alternative to wooden built ones because of the return on investment over time based on heating costs. A Portland concrete building specialist can provide further details on cost savings.

• Comfortability and Safety – the thickness of the block plus further concrete insulation creates 8″ of insulation, which deafens the outside sound,  making the house or building quiet and disturbance free. Additionally, because the concrete insulation is thicker than most alternative forms, it mitigates outside changes in temperature. So, while your Portland home might feel the brunt of 100 degree temperature in August, the home will remain less unchanged.
  Insurance companies are taking note of the soundly built concrete housing structures. Often, many homes with concrete formations enjoy lower insurance premiums because the house (1) structure is more secure (2) less of a fire hazard (3) can withstand high winds.

• Ease of Construction – older forms of concrete and outdated tools made it difficult to account for windows and complex angles in homes. New forms of expanded polystyrene concrete and innovative cutting tools have allowed for ease and precision. However, when considering the layout of the home or building, it is important to consult with a Portland concrete builder before beginning the build out. This is because the window and door formations must be in place before the inner concrete can be laid. Another benefit of using concrete in new construction starts is it can cut down on the overall build time of a new house or building.

Please contact us for a Free Portland Concrete Building Specialist quote.