A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
Building Concrete Homes With Removable Forms
Building homes with removable forms is just one of several concrete wall building systems. But there are advantages to building homes this way. For home builders, removable form construction is fast, saving as much as 30 days on the construction of an average home. In Mexico, which is increasingly using removable form construction, houses can […]
Balmer Brothers Win CFA Basement of the Year Again
Jerry Balmer, President of Balmer Brothers Concrete Works, Inc. in Akron, Pennsylvania, knows what it’s like to build a basement from hell – he’s done it before. In 2000, Balmer Brothers was voted the winner of the Basement of the Year for their 29,000 square foot basement, which was complex as well as mammoth. This […]
Bontrager Concrete Specialties, Inc Named Contractor of the Year
Bontrager Concrete Specialties, Inc. of Nappanee, Indiana was named Contractor of the Year by the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) based in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The Contractor of the Year Award recognizes an individual or company who exemplifies the ideals, goals, and standards of the CFA, a voluntary nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the […]
CHBC to Hold Plant Tour
Have you ever wanted to tour a cement, a forms, and an expanded polystyrene manufacturing plants; as well as a quarry and state-of-the-art concrete homes? If so, the opportunity awaits you. The Concrete Home Building Council, a council within the Building Systems Council of the National Association of Home Builders, has chosen residential concrete systems […]
CHC Attends the 2005 International Builders Show
The Concrete Homes Council (CHC) exhibited at the National Association for Home Builder’s International Builders Show held in Orlando, Florida, January 13-16, 2005. With 104, 922 attendees and more than 880, 000 net square fee of exhibits, it was the largest Builders Show yet and the world’s largest residential construction expo for the their consecutive […]
Concrete Paradise
By Wendy Shannon, Shannon & Company I’ve traveled many times to the Florida Keys for rest and relaxation, but this time I was flying in to meet with the developer and the design architect of SeaSide Key West, a highend residential project constructed entirely of concrete. Towards the end of the 90-minute direct flight from Atlanta […]
Magazine Issues
35 Ways to Reduce the Expenses of Your Construction Firm
Across the United States, contractors report “hitting the wall” of minimal cash in the bank and project prospects. It is time for survival. Look no further than construction employment stagnation. Business expansion has not included the contracting community. The basic rule “don’t run out of cash” takes on a whole new urgency. As you fight […]
Survey Results: Future CFA Summer Convention Vision
At opportune times during the year, we conduct surveys with you to keep us informed and connected to the collective ideas of this membership body. Surveys are just one of the many tools that we and the CFA Board employ to best prepare and steer our decisions for events and programs as well as identifying […]
Should the CFA Expand Its Scope?
The Concrete Foundations Association has always been about residential foundations. While all of our members are involved in some aspect of the residential foundation industry, many of them perform other types of work in both the residential and commercial markets. It has become a necessity in order to survive in the current economy. CFA members perform grading, excavation, and backfill; […]
Our Community
The 2012 CFA Summer Convention is fast approaching, and with it, perhaps one of the best investments of time and money a concrete contractor could ever make. The energy, vision and camaraderie of a summer meeting all join together to make us better business owners, and better persons. If you have not already done so, let me encourage you […]
Bilco Partners With Menards®, Expands Presence in Midwest
The Bilco Company is pleased to announce a new partnership with Menards®, a chain of well-known home improvement stores throughout the Midwest. Menards offers a complete selection of high-quality, name-brand merchandise, tools, appliances and lawn and garden supplies. “As homeowner and contractor buying habits evolve, Bilco needs to evolve with them and make its products available through these […]
Katie Price assumes role of Eastern Region Sales Coordinator with Thermomass®
Thermomass®, a leading manufacturer of concrete building insulation systems, is proud to announce Katie Price has joined the company as Eastern Region Sales Coordinator. Price will have the primary responsibility of coordinating sales for Thermomass’ insulation systems in the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Rhode Island, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, […]
CertainTeed Products Help Create High-Performance Foundation for New Missouri Mansion
CertainTeed’s Platon® waterproofing membrane and Form-A-Drain™ foundation footing system recently contributed to a waterproof, radon-vented basement foundation for Pensmore, a highly sustainable mansion currently being built in Highlandville, Mo., nestled in the scenic Ozark Mountains. With Pensmore, Steven T. Huff, chairman of Wisconsin-based concrete company TF Forming Systems hopes to use his chateau-like, 72,000-square-foot home as somewhat of a lab for […]
New, Lightweight 56Z Truck-Mounted Concrete Boom Pump
Putzmeister America, Inc. has announced it will introduce its new, lightweight 56Z-Meter Truck-Mounted Concrete Boom Pump during 2012. The new pump’s innovative, compact design will offer a reduced unit weight and a smaller footprint, while accommodating a long reaching boom. “The product advances found in the new 42Z-Meter model have now been extended into the 50-meter class,” says Jim Bury, director of engineering for […]
OSHA MEMORANDUM — RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION FALL PROGRAM
September 22, 2011 MEMORANDUM FOR: OSHA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS FROM: DAVID MICHAELS, PhD, MPH SUBJECT: Residential Construction Fall Protection Effective immediately and until March 15, 2012, the following general policy guidance is to be followed Construction, STD 03-11-002) and for compliance assistance related to that directive. Please share this information with the State Plans and On-site Consultation Projects […]
CFA Members Tour Bilco’s Manufacturing Facility
Sixteen members of the Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) from around the county recently attended an open house tour of The Bilco Company’s Zanesville, Ohio manufacturing facility. The group learned more about the company’s history, technology and residential product line. The facility houses both blow-molding and injection-molding equipment used to manufacture Bilco’s line of polyethylene products for the residential market. These products […]
CFA Projects of the Year
Each year the Concrete Foundation Association of North America (CFA) calls for entries to its Project of the Year contest. The entries are voted on and chosen by CFA members through an online ballot that runs for several weeks. This year’s entries were all very large residential projects worthy of multiple awards. The winners will be recognized at […]
Honoring Wendy Ward
It is with great sadness that the Constructive Communication, Inc. team shares with you that Wendy Ward, Senior Vice President, passed away Friday night, May 17 at the age of 32. She is survived by her husband Chris, daughter Caroline (6) and son Jack (3). For the last two years, Wendy has bravely fought breast cancer. During […]
