Noble Concrete Construction

One of the benefits of building with concrete lies in the level of durability the concrete material offers. Concrete is resistant to rain penetration, flood damage, and wind-blown debris, and it also holds up well to freeze and thaw cycles.

The two primary foundation types are slab and pier and beam. A slab is a solid piece of concrete poured on sloped, packed dirt. The pier and beam foundation holds the weight of the house on wooden piers that are set in concrete.

Did you know that concrete forms via a chemical reaction called hydration? Here, the concrete paste (make of Portland cement and water) hardens and gains strength to form a rock-like mass.

Did you know spot piers are a type of foundation repair that is simply hand-dug? In fact, hand-dug spot piers, which are then filled with concrete, are really a type of foundation repair that is best suited for light-loaded areas such as porches or vinyl-sided structures.

When you’re finally ready to add extra space to your business’s parking lot, you may wonder whether to use asphalt or concrete. Remember that concrete has a more stable price than asphalt and provides superior durability.

One alternative to using concrete is an earth bag foundation. In this type of construction, bags of earthy material such as adobe are stacked in alternating layers with barbed wire. The weight and weave of the bags pushing on the wire holds the foundation in place.

Damaged curbing along roadways needs to be repaired immediately to prevent damage to other features such as walkways, drives, and grass as well as creating problems for vehicles on the road.

A kitchen in a restaurant produces a lot of grease, which could seriously damage sewers, which is why a grease trap is a common feature for modern kitchens. These need to take a beating, which is why precast concrete makes a perfect material.

When it comes to water control around a foundation, there are several approaches we can take. This includes drains to move water away from the bottom of the foundation, water treatment of the foundation walls themselves, and ground surface treatment of adjacent areas to direct surface water away.

Can you guess the three basic ingredients used to make concrete? If you guessed sand (and sometimes small stones), water, and cement as a binding or gluing agent, you're right.

Our modern precast concrete owes its gray color to the Portland cement that holds it together. This blend of cement material was invented in 1824 by Joseph Aspdin. It gets its name from having a color similar to stone from the Isle of Portland in England.

You may consider concrete construction a modern invention, but concrete, or aggregate material mixed with a binder (cement), has been used in building for centuries. Even the pyramids in Egypt used a crude type of concrete to fill gaps and cracks.

If a slab is poured against a fixed foundation element (frost foundations and other fixed items), cracks may develop as the slab moves but the fixed features do not. Isolating joint material must be placed between the two surfaces.