Excerpt: Capital spending at cement manufacturing plants in North America is being affected by the slowdown in cement consumption, most of which can be attributed to the downturn in residential housing construction that started in 2007. For example, an Eagle Materials Incorporated (NYSE:EXP) subsidiary has deferred a major expansion in Wyoming for several years until market conditions improve. Nevertheless, North American cement producers are developing about $4.2 billion in capital and maintenance spending scheduled to begin construction in 2008 and beyond. Texas Industries Incorporated (NYSE:TXI) has completed a major expansion in California, and a CEMEX SAD de C.V. (NYSE:CX) subsidiary has completed construction on a kiln line in New Braunfels, Texas.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS113754+25-Jun-2008+MW20080625
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Excerpt: Laura and David Owen didn't know that the two-story house they wanted to buy in Olathe, Kan., featured 18-inch-thick walls made of concrete reinforced with steel. When the builders made a big deal about the concrete construction, they shrugged… But after living in the house for eight years, the Owens have experienced big differences compared with their previous home, a conventional wood-frame house in Overland Park, Kan. For starters, utility bills have consistently been half as much in the concrete house , which is also twice the size.
The concrete house also is quiet. Inside the house on a recent afternoon, you couldn't hear the wind, passing cars, singing birds or the loud buzz of a string trimmer being used next door… A 2,000-square-foot home in the United States that is built of concrete will save about $200 in heating costs and $65 in air conditioning each year, according to a study by the Illinois-based Portland Cement Association, the national concrete industry's trade group.
Homeowners insurance costs up to 25 percent less for concrete houses because they are more resistant to fire, high winds and pests. More money can be saved on building a concrete house by using smaller heating and cooling equipment and by building a reverse story-and-a-half floor plan that incorporates living space on a lower level rather than adding a second story, says builder Steve Stewart of Independence, Mo.
Source: Downs, Stacy. "Strong winds not feared here - Concrete houses growing in popularity in wake of storms." Chicago Tribune, The. 3 Aug. 2007: Access World News. NewsBank. University of Texas at San Antonio, John Peace Library. San Antonio, TX. 2 May 2009
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Excerpt: "The first impression of a house can start at the driveway , even before you get to the front door," says Gopal Ahluwalia, vice president for research with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Washington, D.C. "Our latest research shows that more new homeowners are putting an emphasis on their driveways , and that the width and length are increasing." Poured concrete remains the most popular material for driveways . According to a NAHB new construction survey, 68 percent of Americans who built new homes in 2006 installed concrete driveways , up from 60 percent in 2001. Ahluwalia says the use of decorative concrete on driveways is up 5 percent…
A decorative concrete driveway surface can be colorized and textured to resemble bricks, tiles or quarry stones. A driveway with decorative concrete can be a distinctive part of a home's outdoor landscape, says Mike Collignon, residential promotion manager of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) in Skokie. "A decorative concrete driveway can attractively differentiate your home" from others in the neighborhood, he says. "With all the design options available, your driveway can also reflect stone or brick details on your house or its natural surroundings."…
* Colored concrete admixtures are either added to the concrete mix or spread over wet concrete. There are hundreds of color combinations available to contractors, and these colors become a permanent part of the concrete as it hardens. *Stamped concrete is the process of pressing three-dimensional patterns into a wet driveway surface. Usually done in conjunction with colored concrete, the result is a textured surface that combines the beauty of masonry and the durability of concrete. Stamped designs can mimic brick herringbone, cobblestone, clay tiles or fan-shaped patterned limestone.
Source: Pepitone, Mary G. "Strong Pour some creativity into your driveway- Decorative overlays add curb appeal." Chicago Tribune, The. 18 Jul. 2008: Access World News. NewsBank. University of Texas at San Antonio, John Peace Library. San Antonio, TX. 2 May 2009
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Excerpt: The cement industry is working to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in cement production. It's also lowering cement's carbon footprint by using supplementary cementicious materials (SCMs), which replace a portion of cement in a concrete mix. Contractors have been getting two popular SCMs — fly ash and blast slag — in their mixes for years.
Research continues in the industry in regards to perfecting these mixes and integrating new sources of SCMs. Concrete contractors often work closely with their ready mix suppliers to test mix designs taking SCM replacement percentages higher and higher. Other SCMs being used and tested in the industry include silica fume and fine glass powder, a by-product of the retroreflectivity glass ball industry that acts a lot like a fly ash.
There's also work out there on replacing a portion of cement with ground limestone. Normal practice in the industry uses replacement up to 5 percent, but some manufacturers are looking to boost replacement levels up to 10 percent.
Source: http://www.forconstructionpros.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=7&id=11049&pageNum=2
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Excerpt: To combat water penetration in concrete structures, Building Teams typically apply any number of waterproofing methods, depending on the application. The most common approach, especially for below-grade structures constructed beneath the water table, is to line virtually every square inch of concrete with waterproofing membrane. When done right, this method is virtually foolproof.
However, the materials and labor can be quite costly, and installation can impact the critical path schedule. One technology offers a simpler—and potentially faster and cheaper—solution to waterproofing concrete structures. So-called “hydrophobic” or water-resistant concrete takes waterproofing down to the molecular level. Each manufacturer's technology works a little differently, but the basic approach involves adding special admixtures to standard concrete at the ready-mix plant that react with the water, cement, and aggregate to create a water-repelling composition (see sidebar on p. 48).
Water-resistant concrete admixtures are not new—manufacturers like Cementaid have been marketing the technology for more than 30 years. But the technology is gaining popularity for nonresidential building applications as Building Teams look to reduce material and labor costs and compress project schedules.
“Just looking at the cost of the waterproofing membrane alone versus the cost of waterproof concrete admixtures, membranes can be about 40% more, depending on the thickness of the slab and other design details,” says Jack Avery, SVP and project manager director with Sellen Construction, Seattle. Waterproofing membranes cost $6-10/sf, according to Avery, and are tied to the price of oil, which of course is rising.
Source: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/CA6509695.html
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