Concrete Seen as Major Competitor to Wood
Concrete homes are rapidly gaining market share in residential construction. In recent years, the growth has been so rapid that the Wood Promotion Council recently identified cement-based wall systems as “wood’s greater substitution threat.” Printed in the October 26, 2004 edition of the council’s newsletter, the report also stated that due to strong demand, cement […]
Concrete Not a Key Factor in Home Building Cost Increases
During the past year the cost of materials needed to build a single family home has escalated significantly. A July survey performed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates these increases at $5000 to $7000 per new home. As the use of concrete has grown cement shortages have surfaced in a number of […]
Concrete — A Century of Innovation
American Concrete Institute Celebrates its Centennial Anniversary with a Year Full of Special Activities The American Concrete Institute is celebrating its one hundredth anniversary throughout 2004 with a series of special activities. These Centennial activities include celebrating and commemorating accomplishments through special events and books, as well as congratulating those who have helped make this […]
Future Still Hopeful for Residential Construction Market
Construction Market Outlook of 2003 Second Quarter CONDENSED FROM FMI ANNUAL CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK PUBLICATION Construction, like many other industries, suffered a disappointing start to 2003. However, residential construction proved to play a crucial role in the construction industry as a whole. To sum up the second quarter, the boom in residential construction may have peaked, […]
New Home Sales Rise Beyond The One-Million Mark in April
Sales of new single-family homes rose 1.7% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million units, according to the Commerce Department. It is the third time this year that new-home sales went above the million-unit mark. New-home sales rose in three out of four regions in April, with gains of 13.4%, 0.6%, […]
Cold Weather Research Update: Strengths Proved Good, More Research on Long-Term Durability
Cold weather is a comin’… scratch that, it’s here! Companies throughout the CFA are gearing up with this in mind as they turn he calendar from October to November and recognizing that special considerations are needed for placing concrete during colder weather. However, at an increasing rate, the CFA is hearing that code restrictions imposed […]
Topsail Island Concrete Homes Stood Tall for Hurricane Isabel
In mid-September, the nation’s eyes were fixed on the North Carolina coast as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in five years was predicted to hit the state. With storm warnings ranging from Category 2 to Category 5, residents braced for Isabel. CNN covered the event from North Topsail Island, a stretch of the state’s coastline […]
Understanding Fabric Formwork
The use of fabric to form concrete is a very new technology. In fact, one of the first articles published on this method appeared in the October 1998 issue of “Concrete Facts”. Since that article appeared, considerable progress has been made, and fabric forming is finding various economic applications throughout North America. This article will […]
Concrete Homes – It’s not a Question of If – but a Question of When
As the most innovative and progressive poured wall contractors in the US and Canada, the members of the CFA have always thought in what ways they can expand and make their companies more successful. This success has normally occurred through the training and retention of personnel and acquisition of additional equipment. Now that the economy […]
