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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2007 > July/August
July/August 2007
Minnesota Hosts 2nd Annual Statewide Concrete Open House
The 2nd Annual Minnesota Statewide Concrete Homes Open House took place
April 21–22, 2007. The 82 concrete homes registered on www.chooseconcretehomes.com represented the work of 32 builders. The homes were in 52 communities around
the state, with approximately 50% located in the "metro" area and
50% in "greater Minnesota."
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This home, in Deer River, MN, was built by
Mark
Ledin Construction. |
Among the homes listed on the website, 15 were open for viewing, and 16
others were open for viewing by appointment only. The remaining homes were
listed as "drive by viewing only." The Aggregate & Ready Mix
Association of Minnesota (ARM) placed additional advertising in local newspapers
for the homes that were open for viewing. That advertising, coupled with
the builders’ promotional efforts, produced great results. Mark Ledin
Construction, which had a home open in Deer River, had over 90 people visit
the home, producing several solid leads. AJ Wismin Homes, which showed a
home in St. Paul, experienced similar results. Kudos to both builders for
going above and beyond in their advertising and promotional efforts!
ARM promoted the event via their website,
WCCO radio spots, a link on the StarTribune.com website, full-page
ads in Minnesota Builder and Builder's Digest, ads in Lake and Home
Magazine and
Midwest Home, and ads in 10 local Minnesota newspapers. Statement stuffers
were also printed and distributed to members who sent them out with
mailings and handed them out at home shows.
Thanks to the event sponsors. Gold Level: Brock White Company, Cemstone
Products Company / Reward Wall Systems and Central Concrete. Silver Level:
Bluefin Builders Inc., Cornerstone Custom Construction, Holcim (US) Inc.,
Lafarge NA and Lehigh Cement Company. Bronze Level: AJ Wismin Custom Homes
Thanks to ARM for this article.
World Changers Continue Their Mission in Lubbock
The World Changers are at it again. As in years past, they have constructed
another ICF home for a needy family. They built only one PolySteel house
this year, in addition to 17 houses that were rehabilitated. The work spanned
an entire week, and went better than ever. The World Changers’ efforts
in Lubbock, Texas, in 2006 won an Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement
Award. Because of that, the city received more support than ever, making
everyone’s job easier and the volunteers’ experience even more
fun. An all-female crew constructed the PolySteel ICF house—including
the concrete pour.
The homeowner was very thankful for all the hard work put in by the volunteers.
She stated that she had been paying over $400/month on her utilities in
her previous home. She was visibly moved as she described what a blessing
it was for her and her family.
For information on previous World Changers’ projects, check out
their 2006 or 2005 project weeks.
Concrete Technologies Tour Heads North
Concrete industry promoters, builders and others interested in learning
more about residential concrete applications took part in the 3rd annual
Concrete Technologies Tour in Minneapolis recently.
Sponsored by the Concrete Home Builders Council (CHBC) of the National Association
of Home Builders, the Tour provided attendees with information about both
the manufacturing processes and installation techniques used with residential
concrete products. The three-day event featured tours of cement-based manufacturing
facilities and demonstrations of various building materials presented by
industry giants.
Tour highlights included:
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Molin Concrete Products demonstrated techniques for designing and manufacturing
precast/prestressed concrete products.
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Schwing America showcased its international pumper trucks assembly
process.
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Becker Architectural Concrete demonstrated its decorative concrete
process, including the use of colors, textures and molds.
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Cemstone illustrated the benefits of a ready-mix plant, providing a
host of aggregate options to give manufacturers a tailored product unique
to their needs.
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Holcim, a leading supplier of cement and aggregates, took attendees
to the dock where cement barges are emptied and transferred to trucks for
delivery.
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Anchor Block gave a presentation on modern concepts for concrete masonry
units and how units are formed, dried and inspected.
Gary and Jan Sotebeers’ under-construction ICF home was another highlight
of the event. Speaking from the site of their 5,000 square foot home in Eden
Prairie, Minnesota, the Sotebeers passionately praised concrete’s advantages—such
as no mold growth in walls, quietness and structural integrity—in an
unsolicited testimonial. The couple’s enthusiasm clearly left attendees
speechless. “Everything about this home is so superior to a stick-built
house that I simply can’t say enough about it,” said Sotebeer,
an advertising and marketing executive. “If you build these kinds of
homes, you are sitting on a gold mine.”
PCA, the National Concrete Masonry Association and the North Central Cement
Council were among the additional sponsors of the Concrete Technologies Tour.
The next Tour will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 2008.
Thanks to the CHBC for this article.
New Orleans Makes an Ideal Venue for First Mitigation
Course
A new course offering from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
was recently piloted through the Home Builders Association of Greater New
Orleans. “Disaster Mitigation for Residential Construction” was
funded by PCA and FEMA, with input from the Institute for Business & Home
Safety, and was developed under the auspices of NAHB’s Home Builders
Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB. The 4-hour course
is designed to furnish builders with an overview of construction techniques
and materials to better protect against natural hazards such as hurricanes,
tornados, floods, wildfires and earthquakes. Topics covered by the class
include proper installation techniques and product options relating to foundation
systems, above-grade walls, roofing systems, door and window openings, roof-to-wall
connections and exterior cladding.
The mitigation course represents the 7th concrete-related educational offering
through HBI’s Superintendent’s Program. Steve Skalko, Manager
of Regional Code Services for Portland Cement Association, was the instructor
for the pilot course, which was attended by 22 New Orleans–area builders
and contractors. For more information on the HBI concrete courses, visit
www.hbi.org.
ICFA's Executive Director Steps Down
Joseph Lyman has stepped down as the Executive Director of the Insulating
Concrete Form Association to pursue other interests. In the meantime, the
national office staff will continue to conduct business as usual, starting
with the ICFA Annual Meeting and Expo September 24–26, 2007, in St.
Louis, Missouri.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as the Executive Director of ICFA," said
Joe. "I wish everyone in the ICF industry my best."
Joe had an extensive background with non-profit organizations. Prior to
serving as Executive Director of ICFA, Joe was Executive Director for the
Small Firm Council of the American Council of Engineering Companies, representing
the business and political interests of small engineering firms throughout
the United States.
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Joe Lyman, left, is pictured above. |
"It was Joe’s decision to step down from ICFA, and we wish him
well in all of his future endeavors," said ICFA’s Chairman of
the Board, Kent Stumpe. "He has led us in the right direction the past
six years and has set the stage for a very successful future."
Joe became only the third ICFA Executive Director since it was established
in 1995.
For further information, please contact Katherine Birchfield at (888) 864-4232.
Thanks to the ICFA for this article.
Seminar to Expand Knowledge of Concrete Countertop Professionals
The Concrete Countertop Institute has announced the first advanced class
designed for experienced concrete countertop makers who are having technical
difficulties with mixes and sealers. The class teaches scientific principles
that will prevent problems and result in more satisfied customers.
Jeff Girard, P.E., President of the Concrete Countertop Institute (CCI)
and instructor for the class explains, “I believe that students should
understand why to do something a certain way, not just be told how to do
it without any real understanding. All of my beginner classes explain the
principles behind the methods I teach. But there are so many concrete countertop
professionals out there who weren’t trained by CCI, and are doing a
great job and trying to produce a quality product for their customers, but
they have lots of problems that they don’t understand how to fix. That
results in a lot of re-dos and a lot of frustration. This new class is designed
to help experienced concrete countertop makers truly understand why they’re
doing what they’re doing with mixes and sealers—and change it
if necessary to make their business more productive and ultimately more fun.”
Girard designed the new class to teach students not just rote formulas and
procedures, but the engineering that goes into creating high-performance
concrete countertop mixes from local materials and optimizing concrete countertop
sealer performance. He will explain how he designed the from-scratch mixes
and the scientific testing procedures he uses to evaluate any new sealer.
The 2-day class, titled “Mixes & Sealers 301,” covers concrete
countertop mixes on day one: concrete fundamentals, strength development,
curing, pozzolans, admixtures, aggregate gradation, fibers, all-sand mixes,
lightweight concrete and self-consolidating concrete. It includes hands-on
mixing, and students receive exact formulas for two different from-scratch
concrete countertop mixes. On day two, students learn about concrete countertop
sealers: types of penetrating and topical sealers such as densifiers, repellants,
acrylics, epoxies and urethanes, how to test the performance properties of
sealers, how to set customer expectations for sealers, application methods
such as rolling or spraying, and hands-on application of two different commercially
available concrete countertop sealing systems.
The inaugural class will be offered July 26–27, 2007, at the Concrete
Countertop Institute’s training facility in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The class “Advanced Sinks & Molds 202” is offered immediately
preceding, and has been expanded to include more mold-making techniques with
various materials such as rubber, foam and fiberglass, plus more mold shapes
such as vessel sinks and ramp sinks. Each student will take home a rubber
sink mold that he or she makes during the class.
Both classes are open only to concrete countertop professionals who have
been making concrete countertops as a business for paying customers for at
least one year. To speak with a representative about your experience and
to register for these classes, call (888) 386-7711 or e mail info@ConcreteCountertopInstitute.com.
Thanks to the Concrete Countertop Institute for this article.
Upcoming Events
- Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association Parade of ICF Homes, Annapolis,
Maryland, July 14, 2007 More
- Tile Roofing Institute’s Installer Certification Program, Seattle,
Washington, July 24–25, 2007 More
- National Concrete Masonry Association’s Mid-Year Meetings, Boston,
Massachusetts, July 25–28, 2007 More
- Concrete Countertop Seminar, Shawnee, Kansas, July 26, 2007 More
- Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association Parade of ICF Homes, Frederick,
Maryland, August 4, 2007 More
- "Cast in Place Concrete Countertops 101 with Bob Harris" seminar,
Raleigh,
NC, August 6-8, 2007 More
- Concrete Foundation Association’s Annual Summer Management Retreat,
Stoweflake, Vermont, August 9–11, 2007 More
- Storm Resistant Concrete Homebuilding Seminar, Branson, Missouri, August
23, 2007 More
- "Intensive Precast Countertops & Sinks 102" seminar, Raleigh,
NC, August 27-31, 2007 More
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