A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
CFA Standard Updated
The CFA published the “2003 CFA Standard” in late 2002. It was our first attempt to present a wide variety of foundation construction information and minimum standards in a “code format” for use by our members, yet it goes well beyond the basic code approach. The Standard established a base-line for construction. It followed the […]
The Tropics Call Contractor to Build Concrete Homes
By Wendy Shannon & Libbie Hough of Shannon & Company, a marketing communications firm for the Concrete Homes Council. K-Wall Poured Walls, Inc. is located in Traverse City, Michigan and has been in operation for the last 11 years. Kubica is the owner and president of K-Wall and is a man who loves to challenge […]
Subcontractor Agreements – What Does This Mean to Subcontractors?
Doug Staebler, Custom Concrete Company, Inc., Westfield, IN Over the past year, there has been a marked increase in the use of subcontractor agreements in residential construction. Although these agreements were used for years in commercial construction, residential contractors often operated on handshake agreements. Like it or not, those days are probably gone for good, […]
Building Officials Announce Change in Pressure Treated Lumber Materials
Ohio, as well as other states, recently warned residents and the building industry to be aware of the lumber, anchors, and fasteners used on their construction projects. The preservative-treated lumber used for the last 60 years was deemed unusable because it contains arsenic. It was replaced with a new preservative-treated lumber that contains a chemical […]
Subcontractors, Beware! Your Assumptions Can Cost You
One of the most dangerous words in the English language for subcontractors is “assume.” For example, do you assume that your company will be reimbursed for costs incurred as a result of project delays caused by another subcontractor on a project or by the general contractor? If the subcontract document doesn’t say it and the […]
Change in Lumber Affects Contractors
New preservative treated lumber requires new fasteners, bolts and anchors for most building applications. Ohio, as well as other states, recently warned residents and the building industry to be aware of the lumber, anchors, and fasteners used on their construction projects. The preservative-treated lumber used for the last 60 years was deemed unusable because it contains […]
Magazine Issues
EPA Proposes Rule Imposing Stricter Stormwater Standards on Construction and Development Activities
On November 28, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule under the Clean Water Act entitled “Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category.” The proposed non-numeric effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) would require contractors, developers, and others conducting land-disturbing activities to implement specific minimum best management practices (BMPs) for erosion control, sediment control, and pollution prevention. Certain sites could be required to implement stormwater treatment […]
You Need To Be A Member — Let’s Help Each Other!
I would like to make a case for CFA membership. Whether you are a current member and thinking about dropping your membership, a past member or thinking about becoming a member; if you are a poured wall contractor CFA is a valuable resource. With the worst economy that most of us will likely ever face, CFA is a resource that can help us survive in […]
WE MADE IT THROUGH 2008… NOW ON TO 2009
We made it through 2008. Not unscathed by any means – membership and dues are both off by nearly 30% from 2007 – but we are here to begin 2009. Survival is the good news. The bad news is that 2009 promises more of the same, at least if you believe practically every economist and analyst in the business. At CFA, we are […]
CFA INAUGURAL CERTIFICATION EVENT SHOWS STRONG FUTURE
The first qualification exam for the CFA Cast-In-Place Concrete Foundation Contractor Certification Program was recently completed by CFA at the Summer Convention in Arizona. Exams were administered on Wednesday, August 2, 2008 and Saturday, August 5, 2008. They were preceded by a review seminar. Interested companies sent 21 persons to sit for the 2-hour exam. “The response to this initial […]
BASEMENT OF THE YEAR
For the last few years we have asked our members to enter a basement project that offered challenges of any kind in the ‘Basement of the Year’ award competition. (A reminder to all CFA members — you can submit ANY basement you have done regardless of the level of difficulty you experienced). We want to thank the CFA […]
Ready For Round Two!
Dear CFA Member, Over the past year, our Management Committee has been working hard to develop the content for a new series of information products that deliver tips and tricks we all use for the management of our businesses. Attend one CFA event and the first thing you realize is how much collective business expertise exists between the companies of this Association, […]
Basement of the Year WINNERS
The home for the new millennium—it continues to astound in complexity and size. Even more impressive is the increasing requirements for concrete work generating complex foundation support for these homes as well as becoming integral to the finished appearance. The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – a North American network dedicated to improving the residential concrete industry by building better businesses and improving codes and standards – […]
Banding Together
According to the IRS, the official definition of an association is: In general, an association is a group of persons banded together for a specific purpose. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, since associations are formed for an enormous variety of purposes. They also engage in a wide range of initiatives and activities from improving networking […]
Surviving A Down Economy
The residential housing market is in the midst of the worst economic slump that most of us have the capacity to remember. Some CFA members (as well as many others in the industry) have closed their doors. Nearly everyone has cut back operations severely in hopes that will be enough. Ways of coping with the current downturn are as varied as our members themselves. At the […]
DURAND FORMS NAMES NEW VP
The Board of Directors of Durand Forms has appointed Mark Markovich as Vice President / General Manager effective April 1, 2008. Mark Markovich has previously owned Dependant Foundations, Inc. in Brighton, MI and has been using the Durand Forming System for over 25 years. In that period of time, Mark helped pioneer the change in poured foundations from wood […]
Recapping the CFA Convention 2008 What Defines Success?
The 2008 Summer Convention has come and gone and with all the concern building up to this event for the industry, the economy and the ability to make such a business decision weighing; ask anyone in attendance and they’ll say the CFA hit a home run. We don’t need to convince you of the scenery or the quality of the hotel that was chosen […]
CFA LOSES A PARTNER AND FRIEND
Kim Robert Steveley, 71, former Business Manager and partner with Ed Sauter, died Saturday, July 26, 2008, following a long illness. Surviving, in addition to his wife, Julia, are two sons, Marc Steveley of Austin, Texas, and David Steveley of Fort Collins, Colo.; a daughter, Tracy Cullinan of Worthington, Minn.; a brother, Kip Steveley of Rochester Hills, Mich.; and two grandchildren, […]
