2013 Projects of the Year: Above Grade Concrete Home

Above Grade Concrete Home

Private Residence on Lake Hiawasee

Basement Contractors

Lake Hiawasee, Edmond, Oklahoma

 

Receiving the top recognition for above grade concrete homes this year is a private residence on Lake Hiawasee in Edmond, Oklahoma by Basement Contractors, also of Edmond, Oklahoma.  The home is a 3,758 square foot, sophisticated architectural and construction challenge that offers many new perspectives on a cast-in-place concrete residence.  The challenges of this project were many including the tops of all walls sloping from 24 to 32-feet.  Two structural decks, a landing for a staircase and an internal stair support wall with embedded steel were additional challenging concrete features.  The owner asked that all electrical conduit be placed in the concrete walls.  Despite the heights of the walls, the team delivered the challenge keeping all interior wall surfaces clean and crisply modern.

The walls were also built as insulated sandwich walls.  This method of wall construction places high-performance insulation between two concrete layers during the single monolithic pour.  It further complicated the forming requiring the electrical boxes to be pushed back into the foam to fit within the concrete layer.  The contractor used a non-stop scaffolding system due to the height of the walls as it permitted a working height of up to 40-feet, if needed.  An 8-foot walkway was created all the way around the house with the scaffolding.

Additional features for the concrete structure included footings that stepped three times with a 6-foot step height at each location.  The house also features cast-in-place benches around a cast fire pit with oblique angles in all directions; cast-in-place display for art work bed, structural concrete decks and structural concrete headers.  The stair landing is also cast-in-place with cantilevered steel treads.

Mike Hancock, president for Basement Contractors felt this was one of the most challenging concrete homes he had produced.  “I think the real success for us in this home was in our ability to engineer the structure as well as build it,” states Mike.  “While we are involved in a surprising number of homes with basements in a state where few would believe basements possible, we also have found that many of our customers see the advantages of the above-grade concrete home for durability and security.  It has become one of our distinguishing services in the market.”

Project Specifications:

• Total Sq.Ft. Plan: 3,758
• Total Lin. Ft. Wall: 578
• Concrete Used: 282 cu.yds. (walls), 65 cu.yds. (footings)
• Steel Used: 10 tons (walls), 5 tons (footings)
• Wall Heights: 24 ft. to 32 ft. (sloping)
• Wall Thickness: 8″ to 12″

2013 Projects of the Year Overall Grand Project: Private Single-Family Residence >5000 sq.ft.

Private Singe-Family Residence >5000 sq.ft.

Private Residence

Ekedal Concrete

Laguna Beach, California

The Overall Grand project for 2013 is a cliff-dwelling private residence foundation from Laguna Beach, California. Submitted by CFA member, Ekedal Concrete, Inc., this 11,000 square foot California “cliff-hanger” has a mat slab footing ranging from 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches thick with three keyways, also known as lugs, below, each 3 feet by 3 feet by 50 feet long. The slab consumed 560 cubic yards of concrete with a topping slab 6 inches thick. Only four square corners existed for the foundation walls. The rest were acute and obtuse angles with intersecting interior walls at off angles. Several columns were required between 30 and 40 feet in height.

The job consisted of a five-level, concrete home, four of those levels below grade.  The project started by drilling forty-seven 36-inch diameter caissons, which went down between 40 and 60 feet in depth.  After hitting major groundwater, using pumps and holding tanks, multiple mat slabs and structural slab levels and covering slabs, in the end, over 2,700 yards of concrete was poured, over 1,000,000 pounds of steel set, thousands of pieces of hardware, and 9,000 square feet of structural deck shored.

When asked about the impact of this project and its recognition, vice president, Ryan Ekedal had this to say: “This project was one of the more intense ones we have had the opportunity to build.  The fact that it is recognized so highly by our peers in the industry gives us tremendous satisfaction.”

This is the eighth Project of the Year received by Ekedal Concrete, Inc. and the second Overall Grand Project designation.

Project Specifications:

• Total Sq.Ft. Plan: 11,000
• Total Lin.Ft. Wall: Not Provided
• Concrete Used: 501 cu.yds. (walls), 812 cu.yds. (caisons), 375 cu.yd. (concrete decks), 1,050 cu.yds. (footings).
• Steel Used: 128 tons (walls), 320 tons (caisons), 63.4 tons (footings)
• Wall Heights: 25 ft. to 54 ft.
• Wall Thickness: 10″ to 18″

Shut Down: DOT Compliance in the Twenty-First Century

Shut Down: DOT Compliance in the Twenty-First Century

 

What do you think about DOT compliance? Do you consider it your number one concern? Number two? Number three? The chances are it is not something that you think about very much. In your industry, DOT compliance has simply not been that big of a problem compared to other issues. Almost every company has a compliant drug and alcohol testing program. Everyone knows that you need DOT numbers on your trucks. As long as you don’t make any big blunders, the DOT leaves you alone and focuses on the trucking and bus companies.

Right?

 

Maybe that was true once. Over the past couple of years, however, that old paradigm has shifted dramatically. Now, if DOT compliance is not one of your top concerns, you are taking a huge risk. Managers that don’t enforce company-wide adherence to all the DOT regulations are gambling with their company’s future. Companies that violate the Federal rules face a bleak future of heavy penalties, out-of-service vehicles and sky-rocketing costs.

So what has changed? Why is DOT compliance such an important issue all of a sudden?

The answer: CSA.

CSA — COMPLIANCE FOR THE INFORMATION AGE 

What is CSA? It is a Federal Government program that aims to improve compliance for all companies using Commercial Motor Vehicles. Short for ‘Compliance. Safety. Accountability’, it was created to identify and target companies that are not following the regulations. Essentially, it pulls in thousands of data points each month and tells the Federal government which companies they need to investigate and shut down. Even more worrying, it makes your safety history public for everyone to see. CSA is a game-changer.

Many companies have grown complacent about DOT compliance simply because they have had very little interaction with the Federal DOT over the years. There are only a thousand or so Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration employees and more than eight million companies to be monitored. Under the old system, the under-staffed could only investigate companies at random and hope that they found something. Not surprisingly, their success rate was low. Most encounters ended with nothing more than time wasted for both the company and the DOT.

CSA was designed to avoid precisely that problem. Instead of targeting companies at random, the DOT is looking at thousands of data-points, from sources all over the country, to pinpoint the companies that need to be investigated.

You’ve probably not had a DOT audit any time recently, but what about a speeding ticket? Have any of your drivers been stopped with a broken tail light? Or for changing lanes improperly? Have any of your drivers been caught with out-of-date log books? There are thousands of such incidents every day. CSA collects all of this data. From state, local law enforcement and Federal inspectors, each month, the DOT pulls in huge amounts of data and ties the information back to your company.

Once they have that data, they sort it into seven different categories, each aimed at a different area of compliance. These categories, known as BASICs, are each given a score on a scale of 0 – 100. 0 is the best score that you can receive, 100 is the absolute worse. Each BASIC is also given a ‘threshold’, a score beyond which a carrier cannot cross. If your score goes above the threshold for that BASIC, that’s when the trouble begins.

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE 

Companies with elevated scores will initially start to find themselves pulled over more often. They will also find their stops are longer and their inspections are more detailed. The BASIC information is sent to law enforcement and DOT inspectors. If one of your trucks drives by a police cruiser or has to stop in a weigh station, the officials can see if you are worth inspecting or not. They can also see what issues they might find if they look for them. Say one of your drivers was stopped in Arizona with a bad tire. Your driver in Nevada might find himself pulled over and waiting for a detailed wheel inspection. Perhaps one of your drivers got caught with an out-of-date log book. Now, the rest of your drivers are finding the DOT is going through their books in detail.

 

FREE MARKET ENFORCEMENT 

That isn’t CSA’s only trick. The DOT has also made most of the BASIC information public. What does that mean? It means anyone can see your safety history. Your customers, your rivals, your insurance company — everyone can see your scores. Already, we are seeing companies lose lucrative bids and contracts because of their CSA scores. We’ve also seen alarming trends with insurance premiums.

It is not uncommon to see rates increase as much as 30% for carriers with high scores. Unable to put enough boots on the ground, the DOT is using the free market to enforce compliance for them.

Compliance as a Culture

CSA has made DOT compliance much more important. It has also made the DOT a much more powerful force. Carriers that want to stay in business need to take compliance very, very seriously. It is imperative that each area of compliance receives attention.

Compliance programs such as drug and alcohol testing must be perfect. Driver files, background checks and physicals must be done properly. Vehicle maintenance cannot fall by the wayside. Furthermore, carriers must instill a ‘Compliance Culture’. Every manager, every driver, every worker needs to be a part of the effort follow the regulations. Everyone at your company should know that their livelihood is put at risk whenever an employee cuts a corner, gets sloppy or drives unsafely.

CSA has changed everything. It has also made things much simpler. Now the industry runs on one rule: If you are not in compliance today, you will not be in business tomorrow.

CFA Now Offers Members A Hot Line

CFA adds new member benefit…Hotline

You’ve asked and we’ve listened. Although there are two different forums available through LinkedIn, the private CFA Members group and the public Concrete Foundations group, we realize that this may be more difficult to use than you prefer. Following the CFA Board Strategic Planning effort in Minneapolis this Spring, CFA Staff have been able to create a new CFA Email Hotline for active CFA members to use and communicate thoughts on problems. In order to participate, TRY IT OUT by sending an inquiry or simply email hotline@cfawalls.org with the subject of “Add Me”.

CFA Online News

CFA Continues to grow online presence for Concrete Facts…

CFA’s publication Concrete Facts has received a new online presence. We are pleased to announce that current news and an increasing amount of historical articles, press releases and information is now available directly from our homepage.

Searchable archives by issue date, keywords and primary subjects or departments, we’re bringing you the news you need now and providing support for your future.

Jack Paul Renfroe Obituary – Foundation Builders, Greeley, Colorado

Jack Paul Renfroe

Nov. 29, 1939-July 27, 2013

Age: 73

Residence: Eaton

Jack Paul Renfroe, 73, of Eaton, Colo., died of congestive heart failure, July 27, 2013, at Greeley’s North Colorado Medical Center. He was born Nov. 29, 1939, in North Platte, Neb.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Karen (Cederburg) Renfroe, whom he dearly loved and who he is reunited with in the presence of his Lord and Savior.

Jack was dearly loved by his son, Sen. Scott (Pamela) Renfroe of Greeley, and their children Olivia, Sylvia, Vivian, Derek, and Spencer; and his daughter, Randee (Bobby) Morris of Greeley, and their children, Brittany and Jared. He will be missed by his brother, Dr. Jerry Delano Renfroe of Edmond, Okla.; sisters, Barbara Anne Ziervogel of Apple Valley, Calif., and Linda Kay Velte of Geneva, Nev.

He is preceded in death by his father, Samuel Waudell Renfroe; mother, Agnes Vera (Kimberly) Renfroe; brother, Donald Rabon Renfroe; and sister, Susan Elaine (Renfroe) Harrison.

Jack generously, and selflessly, sought to share his blessings with his family, friends, employees and church. Jack was a loyal, dedicated and hardworking businessman, but he always put his family first. He was a living example of Proverbs 22:1: “A good name is more desirable than great riches: to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

Jack grew up in North Platte and attended the Berean Fundamental Church. He graduated from North Platte High in 1958. His classmates called him the gentle giant. He was accepted to the University of Nebraska on a football scholarship, where he went on to graduate in 1964, earning a degree in civil engineering. He was a dedicated member of the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity and enjoyed many memories with his brothers. He was an avid Huskers fan.

On July 6, 1962, Jack married Karen M. Cederburg in North Platte. After their marriage, they lived in Lincoln, Neb., and Kansas City, before choosing to settle their family in Greeley in 1966. Once in Greeley, Jack was a project engineer for Nelson, Haley, Patterson & Quirk, a consulting engineering firm. He helped design buildings, bridges and water-treatment plants all over northern Colorado. He also was an inspection engineer on the construction of Kodak in Windsor.

He left NHPQ in 1972 and founded his own concrete construction company. His company, Foundation Builders, Inc., celebrated its 41st year in Greeley this summer. The company builds commercial and residential projects specializing in foundations and flatwork. His company has constructed more than 7,000 home foundations in northern Colorado.

Jack was also involved in several other business ventures. He was one of the developers of Pheasant Run subdivision, Cedarwoods subdivision, and Weber West Subdivision in Greeley and Maplewood Estates in Eaton. He was a director of New Frontier Bank. He was a partner in Renfroe Farms, JRSR LLC, SWR Investments, Maplewoods I, and Brunner Renfroe LLC.

Jack attended the Eaton Evangelical-Free Church and supervised the construction of its major facilities expansion in 2003.

Jack loved being involved with his grandchildren and their activities. Rarely a weekend would go by without a grandchild spending the night with Papa Jack. He also enjoyed watching and traveling to Nebraska football games. He was writing a book on the family history of the Renfroes and Kimberlys. He traveled to Georgia yearly for research.

Jack will be remembered for his caring sense of humor that brightened the day of many. He was blunt and to the point. His word and handshake could be trusted, and he believed in doing every job right with the highest quality.

Papa Jack will be always loved, forever in our hearts, and with us in spirit.

Public visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at the Eaton Evangelical Free Church, 1325 3rd St., Eaton. Graveside services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, at Linn Grove Cemetery, followed by a memorial celebration of Jack’s life at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Eaton Evangelical Free Church, 1325 3rd St., Eaton.

Jack had a heart for the youth ministries where he attended church. Jack would be honored for memorial contributions to be given to further their ministry opportunities. Contributions can be made to EEFC Youth Ministries, in care of Moser Funeral Service, 3501 S. 11th Ave., Evans, CO 80620.

An online obituary and guest book are at www.moserfuneralservice.com.

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CFA members may recall Jack’s participation at industry events such as Summer Conventions and the World of Concrete.  His company was last a member from 1996 – 2010.

CLIFTON CONCRETE HOME SHELL BY BARTLEY CORP

Attention to Detail and Production Meet Value

Concrete Walls Poured

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE: Defeating the De-Motivator

with Robert Wilson

The sweet strains of a Puccini aria cut through the Saturday night clatter of the busy Italian restaurant in New York City, but it wasn’t coming from the aging voice of the Sicilian baritone who was hired to belt out favorites like Funiculi- Funicula. It was a soprano whose crystal clear voice filled the room. Within moments all the ambient noise came to a halt. Diners stopped eating and talking, busboys stopped clearing tables, the cooks even came out of the kitchen.

Singing on the tiny stage was the skinny moon-faced waitress from Ohio. The Sicilian heard she studied opera, so he invited her to join him, but what began as a duet ended in solo as he too was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice.

When she finished, the place thundered in applause and I saw tears of gratitude glistening in her eyes. She had hit each note perfectly.

If only she had done that when she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera. But she choked, flinched, allowed a seed of doubt to creep into her consciousness and thus her voice.

She told me her story over a couple of beers after work. It was the fall of 1984, and I was a fellow waiter at the restaurant; just another struggling artist in the city that never sleeps. She explained that she got nervous during her audition and couldn’t hit the high notes. She would get one more chance to audition, but she would have to wait an entire year.

I never found out if she made it; as a writer my art is portable and a few months later I moved to a city where they still have a bedtime. I suspect she did, because that night she received a proof – a vital beginning step.

Doubt is a silent killer. We transmit feelings of doubt to others through subtleties in our body language, facial expression and tone of voice. It is picked up subconsciously by those with whom we communicate. Worse than that, we communicate it to ourselves, and it seeps into our performance. Doubt is the De-Motivator and all too often it prevents us from even trying.

We all suffer doubt occasionally, and its cure is always the same: proof. Proof that we are indeed talented enough to do what we set out to do. A proof doesn’t need to be big to eliminate doubt. A series of little ones can be just as effective.

I keep a journal – a log – of accomplishments. Both small and large, because they all add up to reasons for believing in my abilities. It is especially important to log the little ones, because they are so easy to forget or overlook, and yet they carry tremendous weight when it comes to giving ourselves confidence.

You say, “ I’m just starting out and have no accomplishments.” That just means you’re not looking in the right places. We all have successes, some of them may be found in different areas of your life. I often read in the Wall Street Journal about women, who after years as stay-at-home Moms, return to the work force in well-paid management positions. They acquire these jobs by citing in their resumes the many skills and achievements they learned through their volunteer work. What talents are you racking up through your hobbies and leisure activities?

Sometimes proof comes to us by comparing ourselves to others. Simply ask yourself, “Out of all the people who have ever lived, how many have attained what I want?” The sheer numbers alone will often be all the proof you need.

When all else fails, fall back on faith. Some of the most successful people in the world had absolutely no proof that they could achieve their dreams. All they had was a strong desire and a belief in themselves. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

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Editor’s Note: Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. He can be contacted at robert@jumpstartyourmeeting.com or visit his web site at www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com

 

Bilco Announces New District Sales Manager

NEW HAVEN, CT/July 16, 2013 – The Bilco Company is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mike Enderlin to the position of District Sales Manager, Residential Products, for the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota.

Enderlin is a seasoned sales professional who has built a highly successful track record of accomplishment within the building products industry. Most recently, he served as a district sales manager at Crystal Windows & Door Systems selling windows to the commercial and residential markets for both new and retrofit construction.

“Mike has extensive experience in all channels of distribution, product introduction and team management,” said Jim Edgeworth, Bilco’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Residential Products. “With his experience and knowledge of the industry, Mike brings the valuable skills necessary to develop new business in the upper Midwest.”

Enderlin will be responsible for generating growth in the upper Midwest with current partners and developing new business opportunities for all of Bilco’s residential products, with special focus on window well systems and powder coated basement doors. This includes presenting to and working with retail dealers, masonry supply and LBM distributors, foundation contractors, remodelers, home builders and independent installers.

“I am excited to be joining a company that has tremendous history and a reputation for quality products,” said Enderlin. “I am looking forward to growing the market share in my territory with Bilco, as well as working alongside the rest of the Bilco staff and being part of the team.”

For more information about Bilco, visit the company website at www.bilco.com.

 

About Bilco

For 85 years, The Bilco Company has been a building industry pioneer in the design and development of specialty access products.  Over these years, the company has built a reputation among homeowners, builders, architects, and engineers for products that are unequaled in design and workmanship.  Bilco – an ISO 9001 certified company – offers a line of roof hatches, automatic fire vents, floor access doors, and basement access products for residential applications. For more information, visit www.bilco.com.

Keep up with the latest news from The Bilco Company by following their social media profiles: www.facebook.com/TheBilcoCompany and http://www.linkedin.com/Bilco.

Modern Efficiency Meets Classic Values

by REBECCA WASIELESKI

As published in Concrete Contractor Magazine
Created: June 26, 2013

Third generation concrete contractor Martinson Construction embraces technologies that help it improve efficiency while maintaining the ideals of a family-owned business.

Earlier this year, Martinson Construction installed a GPS fleet tracking system on its trucks, pump trucks and skid-steer loaders. Despite a relatively short time frame with the system, the company is already seeing its value. “In the first week, we caught a couple of trucks that were idling two to three hours on a jobsite. The drivers said they forgot to turn them off,” relates Dave Martinson. “Since then, we’ve seen our trucks go right to the job and shut off. I don’t know if we had a problem with idling or extra stops before, but I know we don’t now.”

GPS fleet tracking is just one example of the tools and ideas Martinson Construction is implementing in an effort to become more efficient, and ultimately more profitable. The third-generation construction company, owned by brothers Dave and Scott Martinson, is also moving to cut back on lost and forgotten tools, stop unauthorized purchases, track equipment maintenance schedules, and write policies and procedures that help employees perform duties consistently.

“Five years ago, we didn’t have to worry about these issues. But material prices have gone up, and increased competition keeps us from increasing prices. We had to turn to technology,” Dave says.

While the company welcomes new technologies that help it complete tasks and work faster, Dave and Scott understand there are some things that can’t be replaced, namely the values on which their father and grandfather built the company — quality, customer service and dedication to its most valuable asset, its employees.

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