Concrete is the most commonly used building material for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most apparent is its availability: The materials needed to make concrete can be found almost anywhere on Earth. “Concrete is basically just rock, sand, cement and water,” says Burt Lockwood, head of quality control for Superior Supplies, Inc. in Santa Rosa. “When I was in Kenya, I saw the natives making their own concrete, digging the rocks and sand out of a riverbed. It’s a universally available material.” For more on the construction benefits of concrete, consider the following information:
Manipulability
“I can’t think of anything in the known world that can’t be produced using concrete,” says Mr. Lockwood. “It can be molded into any shape or form. If you start looking at different buildings, you’ll see countless instances where they’ve used concrete for unique designs and purposes.”
Durability
Concrete lasts longer under heavy usage than just about any other substance. “Compare it to asphalt, for instance,” says Mr. Lockwood. “Concrete can survive extreme temperatures—you won’t see it melting in hot weather like asphalt. Concrete doesn’t need to be re-sealed like asphalt, and it stays flat over time instead of sinking. That’s why it has become increasingly popular to use concrete when building roads and intersections.”
Industry innovations
Not only is concrete available in custom colors and consistencies, but today’s suppliers and contractors are offering new, innovative uses for concrete on both small and large scale projects.
Pervious concrete. In areas that receive heavy amounts of rainfall, pervious concrete is being utilized on projects as large as parking lots and as small as home driveways. This is because of its numerous drainage benefits—as indicated by its name, pervious concrete is full of small holes, which allows water to run through the concrete into the ground and prevents flooding. Using pervious concrete in your driveway can save you money that might otherwise have been spent on installing a drainage system.
ICFs. An insulating concrete form (ICF) consists of a Styrofoam form that’s reinforced with concrete. ICFs are primarily used for interior walls and are becoming more prevalent because of the superior insulation they provide, which saves homeowners money on their energy bills.
