Construction Equipment Owner

Decorative concrete products manufacturer L.M. Scofield will hold its first annual Decorative Concrete Awards. Enter your submissions in one of three categories: Residential, Commercial and Unique Application. Projects must have been completed between September 2007 and September 2008. The winners will be announced at World of Concrete 2009. Here’s your chance to set your company and your skills above the competition. Winning awards programs like this can be a boost for your company, garnering marketing and publicity for your work. What are you waiting for?! Visit the Scofield website for more details!

A recent report in the Pavement Preservation Journal documents the California Dept. of Transportation’s efforts to determine the economic benefits of various pavement preservation technologies. Their findings, which shouldn’t surprise anyone paying attention to the pavement maintenance field over the last decade or more, are that there is a documented life cycle cost savings ranging from 20% to 50% when various pavement preservation efforts are made.

Specific preservation processes Caltrans evaluated include fog and rejuvenating seals, chip seals, slurry seals, microsurfacing, thin bonded wearing courses, and thin hot mix asphalt overlays, and pavement recycling.

The report notes that “Use of preservation treatments may cost from $1 - $6 per square yard while the cost to rehabilitate roads can be six to 10 times more expensive and the cost to reconstruct roads can be 15 to 30 times more expensive.”

And though the Caltrans study covered work on road pavements, it seems to me the results validate the pavement maintenance concept that contractors rely on to help their clients extend the life of their parking lots.

Great information to have in an economy where budgets are tightening, fuel and hot mix asphalt costs are continually rising, and property managers are trying to determine the best use of their maintenance dollars.

…and every thing’s going to be all right. Ok, so I might be a little on the optimistic side and potentially making a mountain out of a molehill, but it’s good news on this Friday.

According to Action Economics’ March Construction Spending Report the figures contained in the report reverse the pessimistic view for non-residential construction. It has become evident that February (0.6%) and March (1.9%) experienced gains in non-residential construction spending while December (0.2%) and January (0.1%) only saw minimal dips.

The report when on to state: “This dramatic change in direction has substantially trimmed recession risk, as the earlier reported turn in this measure of business fixed investment was seen as a signal of a broader switch in direction for business spending overall. The turn may still unfold, but there is no longer evidence of it in the official figures beyond a temporary blip in growth for this measure for two months ending in January.”

Despite the positive notes for non-residential construction, residential construction continues to substantially weaken.

Commercial contractors aren’t back to 06-07 levels, but remember those were some of the most successful years ever, and two months worth of modest growth doesn’t signal a continued significant increase in construction spending. However, it does seem to point to facts that indicate the industry is thriving despite what picture some may want to paint.

During a recent interview, a concrete countertop maker mentioned to me a free 3D imaging software program he uses called Google Sketch-Up. He uses it on countertop projects, creating a 3D image of his design for himself, others working on the project, and customers. You can add color and bring a project to life before ever pouring the concrete. And hey, it’s free, so you can mess around with it and never spend a dime! I tooled around on the site for a while looking at some of the example models posted and saw this wine bar, master bath, and a guest house kitchen concept. Have fun, play around on the site, and search for “foundation” or “concrete” models if you want to see more examples of how this program might work for you.