Joe Nasvik

Joe Nasvik 10832748

Joe Nasvik is a writer and editor serving the concrete industry. He has 18 years experience as a concrete contractor. Contact him at [email protected].

Building Swimming Pools with ICFs

Homeowner demand for swimming pools constructed using ICF products, leads one manufacturer to create a system that made it economical to build them.

This graphic shows you how ICF swimming pools are put together. The footings are formed and placed first, then the ICF walls. When workers place the concrete in the walls they also cast the floor at the same time.

Decorative Concrete

The Lumen Project Tackles Decorative Concrete on a High-Rise

A hand-carved overlay was developed to address the weight challenges traditional concrete pavers would have presented.

Lumen high-rise condominium project used SUNDEK’s Sun Stone overlay patterning system to provide a decorative finish over the building's structural concrete. Outdoor common areas on the 7th and 32nd floors received the treatment.

The Case for Concrete Homes

The challenge is to build homes that can remain intact in any severe weather event, be more energy efficient, be reasonably priced, and be reoccupied shortly after a disaster so that life can go on with minimal disruption.

As extreme weather events become stronger and more frequent, the method for building homes must change too. Building structures must remain intact to provide safety for inhabitants and return to normal life shortly afterwards. Concrete construction can provide this.

Selecting and Installing Vapor Retarders under Concrete Floors

What contractors need to know about vapor retarders as protection for moisture sensitive flooring materials.

Vapor barriers manage water vapor movement into a building, reduce the risk of floor-sweating, control radon gas exposure, and ensure the successful application of moisture sensitive floor finishes.

A Rush Against the Clock to Protect the Oroville Dam

How a team of engineers and construction crews restored the spillway before the next flood season.

In February of 2017 the California Department of Water Resources opened the spillway on the Oroville Dam to reduce the flood water level of the lake. Rushing water destroyed the center portion of the spillway floor, washed away a section of the spillway wall, and created a 150 deep canyon in the spillway. With the dam at risk in the event of another flood an emergency construction project commenced to replace the spillway and the emergency spillway beside it. Photo Credit: DWR

What To Do About Surface Cracking and Surface Crusting

You know you shouldn’t place concrete when there is rain in the forecast but there are other conditions you shouldn’t either.

Surface cracking happens while the concrete is still fresh and before it undergoes initial set. Weather conditions not favorable to concrete are the primary cause. The best protection for contractors is to collect on-site ambient weather data and concrete temperatures and use the nomograph to predict whether cracking will occur.

Intractable Politics and Stocks Leave Construction Economy Riding Main Street Wave

Portland Cement Assoc. expects general economic strength -- job creation, GDP, interest rates, consumer wealth -- to continue carrying construction growth

Although the U.S. economy is doing well, economic well-being is more regional than national. The map shows how different regions are doing right now.

Floors without Control Joints

PrīmXComposite jointless concrete flooring system’s shrinkage-compensating admixture causes steel fiber in the concrete to act as pre-stressed reinforcement

The only joints in a “jointless floor” is a construction joint and these are carefully layed out so as to not occur in high traffic areas. Placing PrimX concrete is very close to the process used to place other flooring systems.

Decorative Concrete

Pushing on the Boundaries of Artistic Concrete

Transitioning from being a machinist to a decorative concrete contractor.

Keefe Duhon started as a machinist but became intrigued with decorative concrete and ended up starting his own decorative contracting company. His love for creative expression was a strong motivating factor.

Revisiting Power Tool Batteries

Run-time vs. weight vs. smallest size

As batteries get bigger and better they are powering tools never before thought possible. The 12 amp-hour battery powering this chain saw can cut down a 15” diameter tree and then buck it up into firewood lengths all on one charge.

Managing Your Assets

New asset management tools from manufacturers help contractors plan for tools use and protect them from theft or damage.

At the heart of the asset management programs offered by tool manufactures are these electronic chips. They can be mounted to any tool, piece of equipment, or device that a contractor wants to manage. The signals they send out are picked up by smartphones, tablets, or computers to establish location. Tool manufactures also sell tools with these chips imbedded in the tool and ready to use.

A Level and a Strike-Off

Combining three tools into one.

Milwaukee Tools new concrete strike-off level is designed to increase productivity and be comfortable to use.

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