A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
Coastal Homes with Staying Power Coming to the Carolina Coast
Uniquely Disaster-Resistant Cast-in-place concrete homes promise to be the home of the future Topsail Island, a prized vacation and living destination on North Carolina’s Treasure Coast, will now feature a cluster of innovative homes of the future built to endure the region’s hurricane season with unparalleled luxury and comfort. Security Building Group (SBG) has six […]
The Building Code Process
Adoption of Codes The development of building codes is an ever evolving and ever changing process. It can be mystifying and frustrating to even those who understand the process. Most wall contractors operate under one of the current standard building codes, primarily the Uniform Building or the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling code. If […]
CFA/CHC in New Trade Shows
The CFA and the CHC will make appearances in two new trade shows this coming fall. These efforts are part of an expanded initiative to increase awareness of not only concrete in homes and bases but also the activities of the CFA and its alliance, the Concrete Homes Council. Both shows are inaugural events. The […]
Abfalter Brothers Concrete
“It is really quite simple,” said Gib Abfalter, president of Abfalter Brothers Concrete. “Customer satisfaction is a key priority and our goal is to ensure that our customers don’t have to make a lot of phone calls to get the job done.” A member of CFA since 1996, this business approach has allowed the Abfalter […]
Cold Weather Protection Procedures for Footings, Foundations, and Retaining Walls
Cold weather concreting is becoming a topic that has the potential to substantially affect nearly every contractor in the CFA. This past year alone, members in Ohio experienced the frustration that can develop when misinterpretation of the ACI requirements for cold weather occurs. Based on this and similar occurrences over the past few years, the […]
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 […]
Magazine Issues
The Importance of Exhibitors
In case you haven’t noticed, the 2007 CFA Summer Convention, scheduled for August 8th through the 11th, is fast approaching. If you haven’t made your room reservations yet, it is time to do so. We have reserved the entire resort at Stoweflake but they have a limited number of rooms. For those of you bringing […]
Concrete Homes: The Word on the Street
In each issue of Concrete Facts you have been reading about some amazing developments in above-grade concrete housing. These articles have featured companies, they have featured solutions, they have talked about the market penetration and the future. There continues to be tremendous interest in concrete homes and what they hold for business opportunities. However, in spite of the efforts of the Concrete Homes Council, form manufacturers, and contractors in the […]
Passing of a founding father…
Herald L.R. “Jake” Smith, age 76, of Wellington, OH died Saturday, February 3, 2007 at Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph’s in Lorain, OH after a long (hard fought) illness. Mr. Smith was born April 7, 1930 to the late, Herman & Ollie (Handley) Smith. Herald grew up in Wellington where he remained the rest […]
When it comes to your education, WHAT IS CFA PROVIDING?
CFA provides a forum… One of the essential ingredients of CFA is the forum that it provides for contractors to exchange ideas and information both through meetings and newsletter articles. With a membership in excess of 300, members throughout the United States and Canada turn to each other for advice and professional assistance. CFA provides meetings… […]
THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
Mechanization and technology have vastly improved the concrete foundation industry from the inception of the CFA only thirty years ago. Boom trucks, concrete pumps, and conveyors have reduced much of the back-breaking work accompanied with the construction of concrete foundations. Technology in the form of CAD and robotic layout instruments have greatly improved productivity and […]
Why We Focus on Education
We have all heard the old adage; “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Unfortunately most of us have not only heard that expression but we have experienced it first hand far too often. With the theme of this issue of Concrete Facts being education, it only seemed appropriate to share with you a few […]
Contractor Certification
A year ago in this article I discussed the merits, advantages, and shortfalls of a CFA-sponsored contractor certification program. The bottom line is that certification is coming whether we like it or not. Several government and code organizations require that contractors, or individuals within the company, are certified to perform their specialty. More will do […]
CertainTeed Corporation Now Offering V-Buck(R) Vinyl Blocking System
(Valley Forge, Pennsylvania) – To offer our foundations customers an increasingly broader range of products, CertainTeed Corporation now offers the V-Buck(R) vinyl blocking system, a product manufactured by Vinyl Technologies Inc., (VTI) that helps building professionals simplify the process of creating window cut-outs in poured concrete basement walls. The V-Buck vinyl blocking system consists of […]
PCA Residential Director Honored in “Ten Most Infl uential People in the Concrete Industry” List
SKOKIE, Ill.–Concrete Construction magazine honored Michael H. Weber, PCA’s director of residential construction, as one of 2006’s “Ten Most Influential People in the Concrete Industry.” Weber was lauded for his efforts in marketing and promoting cement-based building systems and products for the residential construction industry. Instrumental in the creation of National Association of Home Builders’ […]
Dennis Purinton — Contractor of the Year
The Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) recently presented its 2007 Contractor of the Year Award to Dennis Purinton. Purinton, founder of Purinton Builders, Inc. in East Granby, Conn. has been a member of CFA for nearly a decade. He was selected for this award for his enthusiasm and commitment to advancing the concrete foundations industry and […]
WINNERS!
Whether custom or production – today’s homes are designed with many turns and offsets appearing more like an amalgamation of forms rather than the neat little boxes designed decades ago. Today’s consumers are demanding more than ever in their new home constructions, and housing plans have become increasingly more complex and detailed. The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – a North American network dedicated to improving the residential […]
Foundation Contractor Certification
Can you believe that the World of Concrete has come and gone again? What an outstanding event this year’s proved to be. Attendance was higher than expected (labeled a record actually) and the quality of exhibitors certainly did not disappoint me. The same held true for the CFA as we hosted our Annual Meeting at the […]
