Fine Line Footings
FINE LINE FOOTING FORMS OFFERS NEW ADJUSTABLE SLIP FORM
Eagle Mountain, Utah—Fine Line Footing Forms, Inc., manufacturer of the Fine Line Footing Forms stake-free aluminum footing form system, released its new adjustable Slip Form™.
With the Slip Form™, contractors have another option available for their footing form needs. Doug Reid, president of Fine Line, states, “The Slip Form™ is an enhancement to the existing form system and gives our customers just one more way of customizing the system to their particular needs.”
Contractors who use the Fine Line Footing Forms system usually figure the exact fillers needed for each wall of each job. With the advent of various surveying equipment technologies, basement layouts are more exact than they once were, and contractors can simply “build to the stakes.” Fine Line designed the Slip Form™ principally for those contractors who use these technologies and prefer an alternative to the exactfiller system.
For more information on Fine Line Footing Forms and its new adjustable Slip Form™, please contact the company at 877-256-3676.
NAHB RESEARCH CENTER UNVEILS REDESIGNED PATH TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY
REVAMPED TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE FOR BUILDING PROFESSIONALS OFFERS ENHANCED USABILITY AND DESIGN
September 27, 2005, Upper Marlboro, Md.—The NAHB Research Center today announced the launch of the newly redesigned PATH Technology Inventory, the building industry’s online resource for practical information on innovative construction products and practices that can improve housing performance.
Redesigned to include enhanced search capabilities and support for streaming media, in its new format the PATH Technology Inventory will more effectively provide builders, trade contractors, and remodelers access to comprehensive information on over 160 building technologies. Created through the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) Program and administered by the NAHB Research Center, the Technology Inventory is an essential tool in accelerating the awareness and acceptance process for these beneficial technologies.
Redesign of the PATH Technology Inventory was initiated to meet the changing needs of building professionals by improving usability and navigation, and providing access to information more quickly, and in greater detail. The effort was executed over a six month period during which the Research Center conducted focus groups and surveys with builders and remodelers to assess the types of enhancements that would provide end-users with the most benefit. As a result, data enhancements include additional information on codes, product installation, ease of implementation, cost, and builder testimonials. The improved functionality includes increased compatibility with today’s major search engines, database driven content for more frequent updates, and support for new media sources such as detailed CAD drawings and streaming audio and video. Future enhancements will also include distributor listings and broadband capability.
As building professionals respond to the steady increase in consumer demand for more innovative products and higher performing homes, interest in and reliance on the PATH Technology Inventory as a trusted source of information has also increased. Shawn Martin, director of Applied Technology for the NAHB Research Center stated, “There are a number of technologies entering the marketplace that demonstrate great potential for improving housing performance, but have not yet been widely accepted. I am confident that the enhanced features and improved usability of the Technology Inventory will further accelerate awareness and implementation.”
PATH and NAHB Research Center technical experts actively seek technology information from researchers, trade associations, and manufacturers for inclusion in the Technology Inventory. Aside from this proactive solicitation, industry groups or individuals can also submit a technology for review.
Submissions are reviewed according to their technical and performance merits, as well as for their market potential, however PATH conducts no formal testing or evaluation. PATH also selects technologies from the Technology Inventory for use in Field Evaluations and Site Demonstrations.
For more information about the PATH Technology Inventory visit the NAHB Research Center’s ToolBase Services website at www.ToolBase.org, or to submit a technology for consideration, contact Mallika Kishen at (301)-430-6234 or at mkishen@nahbrc.org.
CFA Regional Conference A Success in Pennsylvania
The Western Pennsylvania Concrete Foundations Association (WPCFA) hosted the second Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) Regional Conference on Saturday, September 17, at the Embassy Suites Hotel Pittsburgh International Airport in Coraopolis, PA.
The daylong event was compact with concurrent tracks for management/owners and construction employees in the morning.Then attendees for the construction track went outside for a hands-on safety seminar while management continued with seminars indoors. Topics included form theft, safety, liability, and sub-contracts. Exhibit tables lined the perimeter of the management seminar room, and attendees were able to visit with exhibitors throughout the day. The event ended with a trade0show reception.
A special thanks to the exhibitors: BIK Hydraulics, Cranes & Equipment, DMX Plastics Limited, Irving Equipment LLC, Monarch Manufacturing, Schwing America, Western Forms, and V & H, Inc. A special thanks to Cargotech, Inc. who was unable to attend the event but still sponsored in their absence. Without the help of our Associates, we would not be able to have the level of success we continue to achieve at our events.
For more information about Regional Conferences, the CFA, the WPCFA or any other local chapter, visit www.cfawalls.org or contact the national headquarters at 866-CFA-WALL (232-9255).
CFA Introduces Marketing Presentation
Have you ever had the need to make a sales pitch to a builder, but didn’t have a prepared presentation? If so, CFA may be able to help. The Association has introduced a new tool called “Why Poured Walls” “Why Poured Walls”is a multifaceted Power Point presentation that addresses a wide variety of issues that a poured wall contractor may encounter.
Are you in an area where basements are not built, or are just beginning to appear? If so, the first part of the presentation presents the case for why building a basement makes sense. Photos, text, and supporting information make the case for using a basement for inexpensive lower level living and use of the basement as a safe room. If basements are common but there are competing forms of construction, such as concrete block or precast, the presentation gives reasons as to why poured walls are best. The section presents practical as well as technical information to help make the point.
The next section of the presentation explains the construction process for building cast-in-place foundations. It covers the proven performance of concrete, the versatility of modular forming systems, durability, and the speed of building with RCFs (Reusable Concrete Forms). The use of modern technology in layout and placement of concrete is also explained. It finishes with recommendations regarding waterproofing, and backfilling.
Other topics addressed in the presentation include cracks, their causes, and when they should be a concern; cold weather concrete, in particular the testing and recommendations from the CFA Cold Weather Study; and, sustainability – concrete as a green building material. The presentation finishes with several examples of the use of RCFs for above grade housing.
The presentation has a total of 81 illustrated and animated slides and should take approximately an hour to present. It is available in Microsoft Power Point or MacIntosh Safari presentation software. Text is provided with each slide to explain to the presenter what points are trying to be made. If you have less time to make the presentation, or if one of the sections isn’t applicable to your audience or purpose, you can use the hide feature or delete the section.
The slide show, along with pointers for making presentations, has been shown at CFA regional meetings in Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. If you would like a copy of the presentation, simply call the CFA at 866-CFA-WALL or email us.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.orgCFA Enters New Dimension of Education
Yes, the Internet can be a rather intimidating arena for people looking for information and services to improve their businesses. Fortunately, there are opportunities that exist to help break down the many barriers and intimidating factors. This issue, we would like to introduce you to one of the newest ways we at CFA are working to improve the level of comfort and increase the opportunities you have to interact with our online services.
We know that providing online engineering software is quickly becoming a key benefit for CFA members and is also becoming increasingly attractive to many non-members. Between software designing basement walls and the newest addition for retaining walls, the CFA has created a suite of possibilities that greatly reduce the hardships of determining what is required for a given design. We also know, however, there is room for improvement and one of the leading issues detracting use of the software is the lack of comfort with the Internet and computer software environments. This is why the CFA has selected WebEx to begin establishing a higher level of comfort with our more technical resources.
WHY WEBEX
WebEx is one of many collaborative websites that exist in today’s highly-evolving on-demand delivery market. More and more companies and individuals are finding less time available to travel while wanting to control costs associated with education. In addition, the improvements in collaborative technology is allowing service-related providers to deliver content and education to a wider audience with less cost and more frequency. Therefore, it is a perfect fit for our industry where schedules are far too crammed with work to be performed and distances to travel still too great to effectively educate significant numbers.
The CFA WebEx Advantage, through joint partnership with the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA), the CFA has created a unique and custom online classroom environment where training can take place at any time and on any schedule. The WebEx interface is not only clean, it is very efficient and allows you to participate seamlessly with training that we provide. This training will expand to additional resources that we currently offer as well as those that are in the development process. Together with a CFA staff member, you will be taken through the aspects of the subject both visually and audibly. All you need is a comfortable chair next to a computer with an Internet connection (dial-up will do if you have at least two lines) and a telephone.
A schedule of seminars will be continually updated on the CFA Events Calendar describing the type of topic offered. From here, all you need to do is register for the event by calling CFA headquarters or emailing the staff liaison listed. The fee for the class will be described and can be invoiced to you or received through one of these contacts.
Once we determine the best way for processing, you will also be able to sign up for these and pay automatically through our standard transaction service. One thing to note is that the individual classrooms are limited to 14 people plus the moderator so be sure to register early to reserve your participation. You may sign up more than one station for the same fee to be paid by each connection.
The moment you open the link provided to you for the conference, you will notice the clean look and ease with which this education will be provided. Figure 1 shows the main screen that will delivered to your computer once you have successfully logged on. There are three main areas to this screen for your participation.
The first is the program area, displaying initially the agenda for the meeting along with a welcome message. Once the class starts, this screen will change to the application that your staff liaison is using for the class. Whether it is the CFA online engineering or a PowerPoint presentation on educating builders, you will see exactly what we are portraying with very little and likely no delay.
The next area for you to be aware of is the Participants List. This is kept current to show who is logged in and what their status is. You will also be able to select a particular person from this list to chat with directly or pose a follow-up question if one is asked that you feel would best be responded to without interrupting the class.
Finally, the last area of the screen is the chat zone. This is the area where questions can be asked through typed messages, materials can be cued for download to the participants and general nonverbal communication. Through these areas, you will receive a full education on the subject matter we provide and be able to interact effectively, preparing you for the next step on your own.
WHAT WILL YOU HEAR?
We certainly recognize that most people are able to communicate through the phone much more freely than through the computer. Therefore we have chosen a telecommunications system (the same one we use for all committee conference calls) to allow all of us to be connected at one time. Through this add-on, we will be able to very effectively communicate with each other, to ask and field questions and describe the visuals that will be in front of us.
Occasionally conversations can be dominated or the moderator can get on a roll. This is the advantage of the combined chat message on the computer side so that you can interrupt or cue a question without feeling like you are interrupting.
That’s a quick overview of what you really need to know about WebEx. As we find more details or perhaps items of importance that come from users as they interface with us, we may bring you some updates. However, with two classes under our belts now and with the promise of many more to come, we hope to see each one of you in a classroom soon. So check out the available times and subjects on our Calendar of Events. If you have suggestions on topics you would like to see added, please contact us. We know that the future will hold opportunities for Cold Weather, ACI 332 and Cast-In-Place Foundation seminars. Although this can’t begin to replace the interaction and significance of our Summer and Regional meetings (see Talia’s wrapup article of the Pittsburgh event) we do know that it will open the doors to more of you discovering the advantage of being a CFA member.
Jim Baty, Technical Director jbaty@cfawalls.orgCFA Online Educational Opportunities
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) now offers educational courses online. Jim Baty, CFA’s Technical Director, will instruct registrants on the features and benefits of the basement wall and retaining wall software packages available on the CFA website, www.cfawalls.org. Registrants will be able to view the step-by-step instructions online from their own computers while they ask questions over the phone in a teleconference environment.
After completing the hourlong course, registrants will have the tools necessary to make key decisions during the design process resulting in successful wall designs.
The CFA engineering programs help poured wall contractors design retaining walls to comply with ACI-318, the general design code for concrete construction (soon to be updated to ACI-332 for residential concrete). The basement wall program allows contractors to design a basement wall using CABO95, IRC 2000, UBC, BOCA97 or ACI318-99 codes. Designs can be submitted and approved by an engineering stamp within 24 hours through Consulting Engineers Corporation, the company who designed the software.
The class fee is $50 per connection, and classes are limited to fourteen registrants per session. The schedule for classes can be found at the CFA website.
Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It
Technology, wow, what’s next? It is hard to comprehend how the life of the concrete contractor has changed in recent years. I remember when very simple (by today’s standards) Boman Instruments pocket calculators went on sale for about $120 each. If I recall correctly, it took three AA batteries. Now a solar powered -1/16 the size- much more capable version, is free in a box of cereal! My first cell phone weighed about nine pounds, was bigger than a shoe box, cost $1,800 to purchase and a small fortune per minute to use. I just ran my latest cell phone (which was free, has games, a calculator, calendar, and takes pictures) through the washing machine because it is so small I forgot it was in my pants pocket! Our company had been pouring concrete for a little local outfit called Spectra-Physics (now Trimble), for several years before they talked me into buying our first “Level-Eye” Laser. I think we own 15 or 16 of them now and cannot imagine doing without. In the mid 90’s we decided to purchase a Geodimeter robotic total station for layouts. This was after Barry Herbert (Herbert Construction Co.) and Scott Smith (MPW, Inc.) beat it into my head that such a big expenditure could pay off. Geodimeter (also part of Trimble now), as well as other instrument companies, have since expanded on this magic machine and its capabilities. The list goes on: fax machines and copiers, blueprint copiers, satellite weather systems, and concrete pumps, wow! All of these gadgets have done for us what plastic pipe did for plumbers – totally changed and improved our productivity.
And then there are the PC’s! My golly, how have they changed our lives and companies? Is there anybody out there who is not utilizing this powerful tool yet? There are not too many days when I don’t get an e-mail from a CFA member somewhere, written at 10:30 at night and I can open whenever it suits me. As a test, I just typed “Cold Weather Concrete” into “Google.” In less than half of a second, I got more information, ranked by importance, than I could ever weed through. I can’t define incredible if that isn’t it! Another small example of how the computer can help you is the “On-Line Engineering” program that CEC, Jim Baty, and the CFA staff have worked so hard to create. It is not only amazing that you as a CFA member can sit down at a computer for a few minutes and come up with an engineered plan for a basement or retaining wall, but it is kind of fun too! It certainly beats the heck out of scouring through the code books for hours and having to draw your own details. Give it a try or better yet, sign on for one of Jim’s “on-line classes” to see how it can help you.
Keep in mind all the good things these technological breakthroughs have done for us. This will help you smile through the times when your computer locks up or you are trying to understand the “users quick guide” which outweighs the cell phone it came with by about four to one!
Terry Lavy, CFA President, Lavy Concrete Construction Inc. terry@lavyconcrete.comHurricane Katrina: Can CFA Members Help?
The world was stunned by the devastation wrought on Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama by Hurricane Katrina. The images, as horrifying as they were, couldn’t convey how complete the destruction was. Hurricane Rita then extended the problems to the west, including Texas. The extent of the damage defies description and understanding.
What we do understand is that the area will be rebuilt. Perhaps not every block and structure as it was, but structures and homes to shelter the commerce, history, and people who call the area home will be replaced, as they should be.
Nature, or other forces, will undoubtedly strike the area again. Planning should consider the forces that need to be resisted so when the rebuilding is done, the result will be able to sustain the area through future events. The lowest lying areas should be raised or returned to marshland and if structures are built, they should be built higher and more durable. A lot of our tax dollars will be spent restoring the Gulf Coast to its prehurricane splendor but let’s not let the need perpetuate substandard solutions.
Disasters, such as the hurricanes, evoke the sympathy and most of us ask, “how can we help?” The CFA and its members are in a position to provide a significant contribution to this effort, one that will benefit both the area and our industry. We recently queried our members to see who would like to help and in what way. Suggestions included setting up a satellite operation in the area to build above grade homes (for a profit), providing personnel to assist in the clean-up and reconstruction, purchase of equipment from contractors who no longer have a business but still have debt on the equipment, and contributing money.
The results thus far indicate many are willing to set up a remote or satellite operation in the area to build homes. A lot of “ifs” need to be resolved before such an effort can take place but CFA staff will make certain this offer of assistance is channeled to the right people. It could be several months before many of the residents can return but that time will be needed to coordinate the reconstruction effort.
If you did not receive this initial survey of interest and want to assist, make sure you contact the CFA so that we can include you in our response. If you have connections that can expedite our efforts, communicate them to our staff. We will be working with other concrete and relief organizations to make every effort to see that our offer receives consideration. Let’s turn this catastrophe into a positive experience for all.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.orgInspectors and Home Builders Invited to CFA Regional Conference
Builders and inspectors in Western Pennsylvania are invited to the Concrete Foundations Association’s (CFA) Regional Conference on Friday, September 16, at the Embassy Suites Hotel Pittsburgh International Airport in Coraopolis, PA.
The regional conference, hosted by the CFA local chapter Western Pennsylvania Concrete Foundations Association, is a daylong event that offers seminars on such topics as the National Home Builders Association’s Cast-In-Place Concrete Foundations course and how cold weather influences residential construction.
The National Home Builders Association’s course covers the logistics of cast-in-place concrete foundation construction with references to design standards and code requirements. It also provides proper excavation techniques, safety considerations, and water management procedures. “The event covers topics regularly presented on a national scope but at a local level,” states Ed Sauter, executive director of CFA. “Builders and inspectors will come away with a better understanding of the issues and forces affecting cast-in-place foundations.”
CEU credits are available for attending. Contact the Concrete Foundations Association at 319-895-6940 for registration information, or visit www.cfawalls.org to register online.
CFA Members Working On Concrete Homes Progress
For more than 30 years, CFA members have been making it their priority to construct durable, superior basements, but recently many of these individuals have begun taking concrete construction to the next level— concrete homes.
Sharing a mutual love and respect for concrete, CFA members want to stay on the cutting edge of their industry and of concrete technology by diversifying their business with concrete home construction. Here’s some of the progress they’ve made to date this year.
One individual who has perfected the art of concrete home building is John Childs. The former president of Secure Structures in Raytown, Mo., Childs is now serving as the training coordinator for Wall-Ties & Forms, Inc. in Kansas City, Mo. Having worked with Wall-Ties on nearly 20 homes to date, Childs knows what is takes to pour one and two-story concrete structures.
His most recent build was a 6,200 square foot home in Kansas City, Mo., for his father-in-law, Ross Worley, CEO of Wall-Ties and CFA member since 1978. On this project, Childs also used concrete to produce a rounded breakfast room, swimming pool, hot tub, staircase, retaining wall and arched windows. The five bedroom, five-bathroom house also boasts a second-story safe room combination theater room. Worley opted to add two solid steel doors to his window-free theater room, achieving maximum tornado protection.
Childs and Worley plan to continue producing concrete homes. Their next project will be to design and build a 3,000 square foot, one-and-a-half-story home with a daylight basement for Childs’ sister-in-law in Raytown, Mo. They plan to break ground this fall.
A CFA member since 1991, Mark Markovich of Dependant Foundations, Inc. in Brighton, Mich., has also recently begun experimenting in concrete home construction. Markovich’s longtime friend, Matt Eckman, asked him to build him a traditional ranch home, made entirely of concrete. The Heartland, Mich., home will have a total of 6,068 square feet divided between the basement and main floor.
When finished, Eckman’s house will have three bedrooms and three bathrooms. In the basement there will be a room that is 30’8″ x 24’8″ with a 26’ concrete beam. Eckman opted for the extra-long beam to eliminate the need for poles throughout the basement and to achieve a more open space. This is just one of the details Eckman researched before construction began; he understands how important preparation is to get the ideal end result using concrete.
“You need to have all of your mechanicals well thought out ahead of time, as it is difficult and messy to cut concrete after the fact,” Eckman says. “Your plans will need to be more detailed than what you might use in a traditional stick-built home. It’s not easy to move a heating register, outlet or doorway after the pour.”
This project has been educational for both men and Markovich admits that the learning curve was much more difficult for his first concrete build than he expected. Being that it is also the first concrete home the majority of the crew has ever worked on, the basement level took a little longer than expected to form, but once they found their groove, the second story was poured in no time. Markovich plans to continue concrete home construction in the future.
Rich Kubica, owner of K-Wall Poured Walls, Inc. in Traverse City, Mich., has been a CFA member since 2001 and has recently completed his fourth concrete building project. The latest of these is a 2,400 square foot home in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house was built into rock on the top part of a hill and was poured in one monolithic pour. It was a very challenging work environment, but according to Kubica, the benefits of concrete homes are ideal for the environment.
“People building on St. John choose concrete because they want their homes to be still standing after hurricane season and also because termites are a large problem in the area,” Kubica says. “The weather in St. John is beautiful year-round, making working conditions pleasant even in the winter season. Building on an island is also like living on one—there are risks, but so many gains. We gained the knowledge and pride of delivering our customer a beautiful, safe and secure concrete home.”
Kubica’s other projects include a 6,500 square foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Traverse City, Mich., that includes a concrete basement and first floor, along with a wood-frame second story. He also built himself a 2,400 square foot office and a 5,500 square foot shop with 18-foot walls. All of his projects were built using the E-MAXX Thermal Wall System that he and his wife, Patty, designed and patented.
With four concrete projects currently under his belt, Kubica plans to push forward in concrete home building by teaming up with open minded and quality conscious builders.
Dave Pfanmiller, partner of Security Building Group in Sneads Ferry, N.C., and CFA member since 2002, continues his progress in North Carolina with the completion of two million dollar custom homes—one in Surf City, N.C., and another 4,083 square foot, four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home in North Topsail Island, N.C. His next project includes a town house project in Topsail Island, N.C.
Now that your fellow CFA members are taking concrete construction to new heights, when are you planning to build yours?
by Rachel Zwerneman, Op5 Creative, Inc. Rachel Zwerneman is a project coordinator for Op5 Creative, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga. She is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in magazine journalism.
