3 REASONS CONCRETE IS AN EXCELLENT MATERIAL FOR BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE HOME

Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018

Building a brand-new home is a dream for many Americans. Having control over the style, layout and design of your home is a great way to have a home that is perfect for your lifestyle and needs and doesn't involve the many compromises that buying an established home may entail.

Along with room sizes, square footage and architectural features, creating a sustainable or green home is a very important consideration for a growing number of people across the country. By 2018, it's estimated that around 40 percent of the single-family housing market will be occupied by green construction.

If you'd like to build a sustainable home, then you've probably given a lot of consideration to the primary building materials that you're planning to use to construct it. Although there are many new ecofriendly materials that are available, concrete is an unlikely yet highly sustainable material that you may not have considered as a viable option for your green home.

Despite common perception, concrete actually meets most of the requirements that classify a material as sustainable. Here are three reasons you should consider concrete as one of the primary building materials for your brand-new green home.

1. IT'S HIGHLY DURABLE

Concrete is one of the most durable building materials available. It has a life span that is often many times longer than other commonly used materials. From a sustainability perspective, this is a very important characteristic. Long-lasting materials don't require regular replacement, which means a huge reduction in the use of resources over the life of your home.

Concrete also makes your home more resistant to the ravages of environmental elements. It won't rot, burn, rust or become infested with insects. This not only means a longer life span, but it also means that you won't need to spend valuable resources or money on preventing and repairing these issues over time.

2. IT HAS EXCELLENT THERMAL PERFORMANCE

Another vital characteristic of a sustainable home is how efficient it is in reducing the energy needed to keep it warm or cool throughout the different seasons. Insulation is an important part of achieving this characteristic, and concrete is a highly insulative material that is comparable to or better than many other sustainable building materials.

Concrete is an excellent material for providing thermal mass. Essentially, thermal mass refers to a material's ability to absorb and retain heat. In a cold climate, this is helpful for capturing the interior heat provided by your heating system and keeping your home warm.

In a hot climate, concrete's thermal mass can help keep your home cooler by absorbing exterior heat from the sun to keep your home cooler through the day. The heat that builds up in the concrete is then dispersed during the cooler nighttime hours.

3. IT CREATES MINIMAL WASTE

The amount of waste that's created by a building material is another factor that contributes to its rating as a sustainable product. In this respect, concrete stands above most other green materials. Concrete is produced to meet specific volumes, resulting in very small, if any, leftover materials as waste products.

Concrete is also completely recyclable. Unwanted concrete can be crushed to use in the construction of driveways and roads and can be used as filler for hard landscaping projects. It can even be used as the aggregate component when mixing new concrete.

If you think that concrete could be a valuable asset as a primary building material for your new ecofriendly home, then contact the team at Southport Concrete Corp. With over 20 years' experience in supplying concrete products to their customers, We’ll be able to provide you with the right advice to ensure that your green building project runs smoothly.

Concrete mix is being poured out of an orange concrete mixer, into a silver cart.

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WHY YOU SHOULD USE CONCRETE PILINGS FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
When completing any construction project that involves a foundation, the use of concrete pilings is essential. These columns that have been pre-cast and cured before installation provide needed support and reinforcement to the foundations used by your home or business. They have many qualities that make them beneficial to a variety of projects: Cost effective: When anything is manufactured on a massive scale, your costs decrease substantially from having something custom poured. Superior quality: Being pre-cast, pilings are checked for every sort of defect before being installed, giving them an additional safety advantage. Underwater usage: There are several instances in which the pouring of concrete in certain types of subsoil or other environments won’t set. The use of formed piles easily takes care of that issue. Convenience: With a wide selection of piles all ready to go, you are able to select what you need and install them at your convenience. Adaptability: Trying to pour the exact shape you need is a thing of the past with concrete pilings available in square, round, octagonal and other shapes. Incredible strength: Because of the nature of the piles, the reinforcement used inside is more likely to stay put without getting disturbed or moving its place. They also have high bending and lateral resistance to hold their strength in adverse conditions. Eco friendly: With no leftover materials to clean up at the installation site, piles are the most environmentally friendly option when supporting your foundation and in other applications, such as retaining walls, embankments and cofferdams.

THE BENEFITS OF INSTALLING A SEAWALL FOR YOUR HOME

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
Southport Concrete Corp is a leading builder of seawalls in the Southport area. A seawall is a barrier that prevents waves from inundating property and land. These concrete walls are ideal for areas that are susceptible to hurricanes and frequent flooding. During storms, the sea level, as well as lake and river levels, can rise dangerously high and threaten communities and natural areas. The wall stops the water in its tracks and keeps communities from sustaining millions of dollars' worth of damages. Despite their name, our walls can be built near any large body of water, and our company can construct the following types: Curved Vertical Mound

WHY YOU SHOULD USE READY-MIX CONCRETE

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
You have a lot of options when it comes to building materials in Southport, but there are some that are more high-quality than others. At Southport Concrete Corp., we offer ready-mix concrete. As a product that is made in a factory, it offers the highest quality possible, as it is regulated under specific conditions. Being carefully monitored while it is mixed, it allows maximum economy at every turn. It is a convenience for contractors because it can be delivered to most jobsites. If a truck can get there, the ready mix can get there. It can also be poured directly from the truck into handling equipment or formwork, minimizing loss and mistakes.

READY-MIX CONCRETE SOLUTIONS IN AND AROUND SOUTHPORT

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
Although the terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient in concrete. Concrete is basically a mixture of paste and aggregates. The aggregates are crushed stone or sand and gravel; the paste is made of water and Portland cement. Concrete material happens to get stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not the name of a particular brand of cement; it’s the generic term for the type of cement utilized in almost all concrete (ex: stainless is a type of steel and sterling is a type of silver). Pervious concrete, also known as "green concrete," is a choice that helps combat building code issues with storm water run-off. Cement is composed of 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Then through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bring together the aggregates into a rocklike form. This developing and hardening process continues for years, again meaning that concrete gets stronger as it gets older.

REASONS TO CHOOSE CONCRETE ​SEPTIC TANKS

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
There are many residences that need to use a septic tank. If you find yourself in such an area, consider what Southport Concrete Corp. can do for you. We can cast septic systems for you, and we have been operating in Southport for almost 20 years. We can inspect your location to design a septic system that is perfect for your expected needs, bringing you long-term plumbing solutions.

HOW TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN A CONCRETE DRIVEWAY SO IT LASTS FOR A LIFETIME

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
Concrete driveways are durable and attractive, and they provide a solid, reliable parking surface for vehicles. However, maximizing the lifespan and appearance of your concrete driveway depends upon making the right choices both before the concrete is poured and for many years after that, too. Below, we’ve listed some important things to keep in mind in order to prevent premature concrete driveway failure.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CONTRACTION JOINTS IN CONCRETE AND WHY THEY MATTER

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
Concrete is an ideal construction material for countless numbers of applications due to the substance’s strength, reasonable cost, and ease of installation. Paving surfaces is one of the many uses for this flexible medium. However, concrete is prone to crack, and it is normal for even the best-laid concrete surface to develop hairline crevices. While these tiny cracks are often insignificant, they are unsightly and detract from the overall appearance of the paved surface. You can preventing these cracks by installing contraction joints; below is more information about these important features and their installation.

CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS: ARE THEY THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOUR KITCHEN?

By Southport Concrete Corp. • July 20, 2018
If you're hoping to replace your tired old countertops with something more modern and durable, you've likely considered popular options like quartz, granite, marble, or solid surface. However, many homeowners do not realize that concrete makes an excellent countertop and has plenty of advantages. Just like any other countertop surface, there are specific advantages that concrete offers. How do you know if concrete is the right choice for your new or remodeled kitchen?
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