Your one-source guide to Concrete-Based Homebuilding Systems. Residential contractors, architects, and developers will welcome this first total guide to the latest concrete-based homebuilding systems (CBHSs). With lumber costs still on the rise after doubling the early '90s, The Portland Cement Association Guide to Concrete Homes, by Peter VanderWerf and W. Keith Munsel, can deliver, durable, cost-efficient, esthetically pleasing alternative building materials and construction methods. It's all spelled out in an authoritative sourcebook that explains and compares the various types of CBHSs and lists special materials and tools for building them--provides case histories of concrete homes already built and in use--and contains data vital to building professionals who want to learn tomorrow's techniques today.

Love all of your masonry and concrete projects--knowing that you did them yourself!--with help from our experts. No projects offer more aesthetic or financial satisfaction than DIY concrete and masonry projects. Homeowners can routinely save thousands of dollars in labor costs by buying and installing materials that are readily available. This updated 4th edition of Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Concrete & Masonry includes traditional techniques for laying concrete, adapted to make them easy for ordinary homeowners, and also features completely modern materials and techniques, such as tumbled concrete pavers, acid-etching for colored concrete slabs, and important green paving options, such as rain-garden arroyos and permeable pavers. Several cutting-edge projects, like polished concrete countertops and stamped concrete walkways, are included in this book. An exposed aggregate patio, a reinforced concrete block wall, and the latest tools and materials for handling new products are featured. A completely new section on foundation walls shows you all the options, including the latest structural insulated panels, that are now more DIY friendly than ever. No homeowner or do-it-yourselfer will want to miss this chance to master the best methods to create lasting beauty around the house.

Concrete is an inherently complex material to produce and an even more complex material to repair. With growing pressure to maintain the built environment, and not simply to demolish and rebuild, the need to repair concrete buildings and other structures is increasing and is expected to become of greater importance in the future.This straightforwar

The most useful reference available for learning and improving stamped concrete skills.

Written by and for contractors, this publication provides insight into proven construction practices that will produce quality concrete construction. Contents include organizing for quality, concrete mixture designs, specifications, foundations, formwork, reinforcement and embedments in structures, joints and reinforcement for slabs-on-ground, preparing for concreting, concrete placing and finishing, common field problems, and safety. The guide can be used as a training manual or as a basic reference for field and office.