Pouring concrete is relatively easy. You can probably do it yourself for your home or business.
However, you must ensure you follow all the steps and don’t neglect any of them.
Poured concrete can last you a long time if you do the job correctly. Let’s run down the list of steps you’ll need to follow if you’re going to tackle this project.
Prep the Site
Site prep will come first. You should remove any shrubs, trees, rocks, grass, old pieces of broken concrete, etc. If you’re doing a large pour, you can use an earth mover for this. Otherwise, you can probably handle this by hand.
Set the Forms
Setting the forms for a residential pour is normally done with either wood or metal stakes. You can attach forms to the stakes you put down with either special nails intended for the purpose or screws.
Mix the Concrete
Next, you’ll want to mix your concrete. The mixture should have water added to it according to the instructions on the bag. You will require a concrete mixer for larger projects. For small residential ones, you can get by with a shovel and wheelbarrow.
Place the Concrete
You will next pour your wet concrete into the forms you have laid out for the occasion. Make sure you fill each form up to its top edge. After you’ve poured out the wet concrete, use shovels or rakes to smooth it out so that there are no air pockets.
Do Your Early Finishing
Early finishing should come next. Use a flat wooden board or piece of metal designed for the purpose of screeding the top of the poured wet concrete. You need to do this so that any low or high areas are smoothed out. Large bull floats work best for broader areas, but you can utilize small hand-held floats for any detail work or edges.
Trowel Work
If you want the finished product to appear smooth, use a steel trowel at this point in the process. You can use the method called skating to guide your steel trowel along the surface of the hardening concrete. You can trowel small areas one at a time this way, or you might also trowel larger areas with a long pole called a fresno.
Do Your Final Finishing
After you are all done with your troweling, you must do your final finishing. This involves what those in the construction industry call a “broom finish.”
You can get a special broom designed for the purpose and sweep it along the drying concrete to create a rough texture. There are other types of finishes as well, so you might want to read up on those to see if you would prefer a different kind, like stamped, for example.
Let It Cure
Letting the dry concrete cure comes last. The process can last a full four weeks, but the first 48 hours are the most vital. You will want to apply a liquid chemical curing compound during this time.
If you get into engineering or architecture in any way, you will probably come to learn about the angle iron sooner rather than later. It is a crucial component of virtually any building and even some art pieces. Angle irons provide structural integrity, and that’s something you want with buildings and other projects.
You can buy an angle iron if you need one or many of them. You can get them in various sizes from several manufacturers. Before you purchase one, though, let’s make sure you understand the best uses for it.
The Fundamentals of Angle Irons
An angle iron looks like the letter L. There is a shorter section and a longer section. Because of this unique design feature, you can set up or configure angle irons in such a way that they provide excellent structural support for buildings.
You will also see sculptors use them often. They know that the angle iron can be used as the foundation of a project and that they can affix less stable elements to it. It all starts with the angle iron at the base, the bedrock on which the rest of the project rests.
Common Uses in Structural Engineering
In structural engineering, angle irons have a very specific use. As an engineer or architect designing a building, you can utilize one if you need an angle or corner between two different surfaces.
The two pieces of metal that are perpendicular to each other and that comprise the angle iron are usually called legs by architects and engineers. It is the connection of these two legs that gives you support and structural integrity.
When you have your angle iron in the right spot, you can use it both as a brace and as structural support. That is why this concept has been around for so many years and is still in use today in modern buildings or high-concept art pieces.
Angle Irons Have a Key Structural Use
If you see a building of any size, you should know it’s more than likely there are angle irons in the foundation holding up the walls. You’ll find them near the bottom, where they are lending their strength to the structure’s integrity.
If you enter the architectural or engineering fields and you start learning about fundamentals from someone well-versed in these disciplines, they will likely teach you about angle irons within the first couple of days. That’s how much they matter.
You could call them one of the most recognizable elements of steel that’s used for structural purposes. The L-shaped profile that marks them should immediately get your attention as you start learning more complex elements of structural engineering.
You’ll know that you’ll not only find angle irons embedded in building foundations. You can also see variations of them in bed frames, ladders, various other kinds of furniture, or even the frames of go-karts.
You’ll probably never design a building without angle irons. That’s why millions of them are manufactured for myriad purposes every year.
This past year, construction and building went through a lot of big changes. And now, as the market continues to improve, new construction trends are on the rise.
All these new trends and tools are made to make things better and last longer, from building new homes to low-code or no-code building jobs.
So, what are the new construction trends that have caused the most noise this year? And where does the business go from here? Let’s take a look together.
Sustainable and Green Construction
Sustainable and green construction is the process of planning, building, and running buildings in a way that is good for the environment and uses resources better. It is a new trend that aims to make buildings less harmful to the environment while making them more energy efficient and better for the people who live in them.
Green building encourages the use of materials that are recyclable. This includes building materials like bamboo, cork, and recycled steel, which have low embodied energy (the energy used to get the item, make it, and ship it).
Also, sustainable buildings use less of things like certain types of wood or goods with a lot of chemicals that release harmful chemicals or harm trees.
Design-Build Firms
The integrated way that design-build firms handle projects has made them a popular new trend in construction. A design-build business is a company or organization that offers both architectural/design services and construction services under one roof.
Clients can work with a single design-build firm for the whole job instead of hiring separate architects or designers and contractors. They can even contact this design-build company to bring projects to life in no time!
Since the design and construction teams are part of the same group or have close ties to each other, it is easier for them to talk to each other and work together.
Design-build businesses encourage architects/designers and construction professionals to talk to each other more often and more direct. This helps everyone understand the project’s needs, goals and limits better. This can make it easier to solve problems and make decisions.
3D Printing
Construction with 3D printing is faster than traditional methods. The layer-by-layer printing method is automated, which cuts down on the amount of work done by hand and speeds up the building process. This can help save a lot of time and money, especially on big projects.
3D printing also makes it possible to make intricate patterns that would be hard or impossible to make with traditional building methods. The technology makes it easy for builders and designers to make structures and shapes that are one-of-a-kind and made for them. This gives architects more room to be creative and try new things.
Drone Usage
Using drones in construction is one of the more useful construction trends that has many benefits for the industry as a whole. Drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are remote-controlled airplanes with cameras or sensors that can take pictures and collect data from the air.
Drones can also help make construction sites safer by reducing the need for workers to go up high or into dangerous places. Drones can check roofs, facades, or tall buildings, which lowers the chance of accidents or falls. Through aerial inspections, drones can also help find safety risks like loose materials or buildings that aren’t stable.
Smart Buildings and Home Automation
Smart homes try to make people more comfortable and improve their health. They may have features like automatic climate control, personal choices for temperature and lighting, and systems that check the quality of the air. The people who live there can change the settings using their phones or voice commands, making the space comfy and personalized.
Smart buildings take data from different systems and look at it to find patterns, trends, and outliers. This data-driven method makes predictive maintenance possible.
This means that you can watch building systems to find problems or maintenance needs before they get worse. Predictive analytics can help optimize energy use, find broken equipment, and improve the general performance of a building.
Augmented Reality and Visual Reality
AR works by putting virtual material on top of the real world, which changes how the user sees and interacts with their surroundings.
AR can help builders, engineers, and clients see how building plans will look in real life. The builders put digital models or 3D images on top of the real site to show stakeholders what the finished building will look like and help them make design decisions.
VR puts people in an artificial world, giving them a completely digital experience. The construction industry uses VR to make immersive marketing events or client presentations. Potential buyers or investors can take a virtual tour of a planned property. This gives them a good idea of the size, finishes, and general design.
Resilient and Disaster-Resistant Construction
Resilient buildings put structure strength first so they can stand up to the forces of natural disasters. This means having strong supports, reinforced load-bearing parts, and using strong materials like reinforced concrete or steel.
A careful analysis of the risks and weaknesses of the project site is the first step in building something that is resilient. This means thinking about things that could go wrong, like earthquakes, storms, floods, wildfires, or extreme weather. By knowing what the risks are, you can use the right ways to reduce them during the planning and building process.
Try These New Construction Trends Today
New construction trends are being used in the industry today. The business is changing because of smart buildings, 3D printing, drones, and other new ideas. They help cut costs, make a building safer, and make it work better.
There are also new ways to build that you should be aware of, from making houses stronger to building in a greener way. Now is the time to take advantage of the changes in the business world. Try some of these new ideas out today and see what happens!
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Construction projects require a lot of planning. Project managers have to take steps to make sure every phase is planned in advance and all the contractors show up on time to ensure the job is completed according to schedule.
The good news is that there are plenty of tools and industry best practices that will make construction management much easier. Read on to find five practical tips that can help.
1. Leverage the Power of Technology
These days, apps to assist with construction management abound. It’s best to purchase software that was specifically developed to meet unique industry needs. Download a concrete app to manage foundation laying and the construction of concrete structures, find payroll management software to ensure that all the contractors get paid on time, and use broader construction management tools to keep all the ducks in a row.
2. Plan and Schedule in Advance
Adequate planning for a construction project takes some time, but it’s worth sorting out a detailed schedule in advance so that all the contractors are on the same page. Coordinate and organize tasks in a logical and efficient way, and take the time during the planning phase to ensure that all necessary resources, including manpower, tools, equipment, and materials, will be available when they’re needed. Work with suppliers and subcontractors to set a realistic timetable, then be prepared to adjust the plan as needed if issues arise.
3. Take on One Construction Problem at a Time
It’s easy for construction managers to get bogged down in details. While multitasking is an essential skill, it’s never wise to try to do everything at once. Prioritize issues in a way that makes sense.
For some construction managers, it’s easiest to tackle small problems first before moving on to larger ones. For others, it makes more sense to tackle the biggest issues first before focusing on smaller details. Either way, construction managers need to work with their project teams to develop solutions and address problems without creating unnecessary delays, and that requires focusing on just one thing at once.
4. Improve Communication
Construction project managers need to be able to communicate effectively in both written and oral forms. It’s important to be clear and concise, and it’s always best to establish a detailed communication plan in advance that includes both a chain of command for information sharing and predetermined methods of communication for dealing with every circumstance.
There’s no one communication strategy that’s right for every stage of a construction project. While change orders should always be conveyed through written communication, it’s perfectly fine to send a quick email or text to convey less vital information. Just keep in mind that delays almost always result from poor communication, and projects always run smoother if all the contractors are on the same page.
5. Learn From Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, but construction managers can learn from them to improve efficiency on the next project. Take the time to perform a project postmortem to assess the team’s performance after each project is completed and identify both areas of concern and places where the team excelled. An honest assessment of the team’s performance can help to inform future project planning.
The Bottom Line
Even seemingly simple construction projects can be quite complex. They usually require working with multiple specialized subcontractors, all of whom need to be on the same page about project timelines and expectations. Construction managers who have had trouble juggling their myriad job roles can implement the tips above to help ensure that everything goes smoothly on the next project.
