• CFA Tech Note 014: Interpreting Nominal Concrete Wall Thickness

    Wednesday, April 1, 2026

    Introduction  A frequent point of discussion between contractors, designers and code authorities involves the interpretation of “nominal” versus “actual” concrete wall thickness. This technical note provides clarification on this topic by examining relevant building codes and industry standards. Understanding the code-defined relationship between nominal and actual dimensions is essential for ensuring compliance and project continuity.  Analysis of Code Requirements  The International Residential […]

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  • Volver a construir mejor: Resiliencia

    Friday, March 13, 2026

    Cuarto artículo de la serie  De Joe Nasvik  Una vez que se toma la decisión de construir una casa, la siguiente cuestión que hay que resolver es cómo se debe construir. El mejor sistema de construcción es aquel que sea más adecuado para los ocupantes actuales y futuros. El uso de pautas de sostenibilidad y resiliencia […]

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  • Building Back Better Resiliency

    Friday, March 13, 2026

    BY JOE NASVIK  This is the fourth and final article of the Building Back Better series.  After the decision is made to build a house, the next issue to resolve is how it should be built. The best building system is one that will be best for the current and future occupants. Using sustainability and resilience guidelines is […]

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  • 2025 CFA Consulting Members Directory

    Friday, March 6, 2026

    CFA works with many great consultants. If you are looking for consulting services, visit one of the companies below: BIC bicauctions.com BIC is a used concrete equipment specialist serving contrac­tors, manufacturers and lenders nationwide. The company helps industry professionals unlock value from idle or un­derutilized assets—whether it’s a single unit or an entire fleet. Their […]

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  • Interns posing in front of Custom Concrete building

    We See You: Custom Concrete Shouts Out Their Interns

    Friday, October 3, 2025

    Custom Concrete recently took time to celebrate the next generation of industry leaders by highlighting the contributions of their interns.

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Feature

Sep
18

Concrete Home Design: Solid As Ever

Gone are the days of over-engineered and overbuilt concrete homes that were a chore to construct and even more difficult to sell. Today’s concrete residential designs, in particular those for homes constructed with Removable Concrete Forms (RCFs), not only offer homeowners a rock-solid, weather resistant and energy efficient investment, these fresh designs yield must-have residences […]

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Sep
18

Completing A Foundation In 10.5 HRS!

WHAT THEY DID In an unprecedented 10.5 hours, Coello & Associates constructed a full 8 foot basement and 850 square foot attached garage foundation from start to finish. THE CONCRETE WAS KEY A foundation like the one for this home would typically take a minimum of three days to complete from start to finish. On […]

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Jul
16

Two companies in Geronimo, Oklahoma turn ideas into concrete plans

From The Lawton Constitution, May 23, 2006 by Scott Rains, Staff Writer srains@lawton-constitution.com GERONIMO, Okla.— A progressive view of construction must be mixed into the local water supply. The community supported — by a 71 percent margin — passage of a proposition for a concrete, domed school and gymnasium during a school bond vote earlier this […]

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Jul
16

INTERVIEWS WITH CFA MEMBERS WOMEN IN CONCRETE

Hot on the heals of a sold out, first-ever, ‘Women In Concrete Forum’ at the World of Concrete, we’re featuring some of the women in the foundation industry. We’ve selected eight CFA members that have solid industry experience and make a difference to the corporations they either own or work for. Once thing is for […]

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Jun
6

Bilco’s ScapeVIEW™ Series 6000 Completes the ScapeWEL Window Well System

The Bilco Company, manufacturers of specialty access products for the residential and architectural building markets, is completing its ScapeWEL® Window Well System by introducing the ScapeVIEW™ Series 6000 Foundation Window System. Constructed of vinyl for durability and corrosion resistance, the window assembly is a two-piece system consisting of a pour-in-place buck and a snap-in window […]

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Jun
6

New 10” Size for Form-A-Drain®

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania – CertainTeed Corporation is expanding its popular Form-A-Drain® foundation product line into the light commercial construction market via a new, larger 10” x 12’ lineal. Form-A-Drain, which until now was used mostly for residential foundations, can now be used in the construction of office buildings, apartment complexes, stores and more. Form-A-Drain is […]

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Magazine Issues

Mar
30

Code Corner: Impact of Codes

WHAT IMPACT ARE THE CURRENT CODES, REGULATIONS , AND STANDARDS HAVING ON YOUR COMPANY? The latest information on regulations, codes and standards that we have been tracking and working with has been prepared for your reference. What impact are these having on your company? What will be the largest hurdles in your implementation and preparation […]

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Mar
30

The 2014 CFA Grand Project of the Year: A Madison Gardenesque

Another great year of project submittals demonstrating some of the most incredible construction feats is in the books. A record number of votes recorded on the show floor at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas this past January and a strong online voting contingent evaluated the seven projects vying to be named a CFA Project of the Year. […]

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Mar
30

Moving Towards Profitability – CFA’s Annual Convention 2014

The largest gathering of residential cast-in-place contractors in the country! Convention Theme:  Moving Towards Profitability When:  July 31 – Aug 2, 2014 Where:  Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio A focus on industry education and networking, an emphasis on a great family experience. SCHEDULE A jam-packed education and networking event. The schedule-at-a-glance is: Wednesday, July 30 Insurance Captive […]

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Mar
30

The Greatest Gathering

An opportunity awaits you this summer (yes summer will arrive). It is the greatest gathering in the world of your peers in the residential foundation industry. Perhaps the hardest thing to visualize is the impact traveling to a convention can have on your daily business and we have certainly fielded that response numerous times. Yet, hundreds of times we […]

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Mar
30

The CFA Young…The CFA Experienced

Dear CFA Friends, I am glad to see old man winter give way to spring! Spring is my favorite season because it brings optimism and new energy, which is critical for our businesses. My father and mentor, Buck Bartley, always says, “Make your changes in the winter so they are ready come spring.” The change of seasons reminds […]

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Jan
6

The Time Has Come

Letter from the Executive Director Those who regularly receive this magazine know I have written several times about the formation of an insurance captive for CFA members. Over the past months the insurance market, as well as efforts to start this captive, have taken significant turns – one for the worse, one for the better. […]

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Jan
6

Tired of Breaking Even?

Letter from your president, Jim Bartley Dear Friends, Our long, tough recession has had one of two effects on most concrete foundation contractors. Either we went broke, or mastered the art of breaking even. If you are reading this, my guess is you are a fine-tuned, break-even machine! I know I am. Now that we […]

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Jan
6

What Should You Expect from 2014?

Codes, Standards, Rules, Regulations and Insurance…It is All Changing   It really doesn’t matter that your profession is the concrete industry. Were you in just about any industry, the rules for doing business and the parameters that shape your industry are likely to be changing such that business next year, perhaps even tomorrow, will most […]

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Sep
12

Irving Equipment Announces Arrival of Loop Belt® Truck Mounted Conveyors

Irving Equipment is pleased to announce the arrival of Loop Belt® truck mounted conveyors. Offering the LB32T4 and LB40T5 models, they are 100% designed, patented, and built in the US. Boasting several brand new patents on each model, with others pending, both units offer advantages and applications that outperform other competitive placing systems. Loop Belt® […]

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Jul
30

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 […]

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Jul
30

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 […]

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Jul
30

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 […]

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