Construction Projects May Accelerate

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is allegedly going to accelerate 200 Denver construction projects which were part of a successful bond issue passed last year. The projects, slated for completion over 5 years, are supposed to now be completed in 4 years.
The projects are varied, such as the construction of three libraries, a police crime lab and an animal shelter; the widening of Federal Boulevard; and renovations to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Boettcher Concert Hall.

Block is not watertight on its own

Concrete block, particularly lightweight concrete block, is not weather tight if you do not apply a water repellent coating to it. Water repellent coatings usually last between 2 and 10 years, depending upon the exposure of the building and the competence of the applicator. As a rule of thumb, penetrating water repellents last longer because they are not as prone to ultraviolet degradation as surface coatings are. I recommend Silane and Siloxane-based coatings because of this longevity.
If you want to read more about water repellent coatings for concrete block, go to the web site for the National Concrete Masonry Association at www.ncma.org. Look for an icon labeled “E-Tek”. Click on this heading and it will take you to another web site where you can download technical articles. I suggest you download:
Tek Note 8-1A - Maintenance of Concrete Masonry Walls
Tek Note 19-1 - Water Repellents for Concrete Masonry Walls
My favorite flashing/weep system for single wythe walls is called Cavity Vent. It is a strip of corrugated plastic that you install at the base of the wall, where the block meets the foundation. I like the product because it is fast and easy to install and it does not deteriorate over time. Structural engineers like it because it does not interfere with rebar placement and it does not cause shear plane weakness at the base of the wall. Go to www.masonrytechnology.com and click on the drawing of “Cavity Vent” to see more information about this system.

Obama could save money with masonry

Here's a bit of advice for President-elect Obama: Require that all public buildings and schools be built with load bearing masonry. The reduction in energy consumption and reduction in all lifecycle costs will save a lot of taxpayer money. Additionally, the more metal you take out of the buildings, the better the wifi and cell phone reception.
Obama announced on Saturday that he wants to create jobs by making public buildings more energy-efficient, repairing roads and bridges, modernizing schools, increasing broadband access and ensuring that health care professionals have access to the latest technology.

The market's not completely dead

There is work out there for masons in Colorado. The dire accounts of the construction market are only telling part of the story. Colorado has not been hit as hard as the rest of the nation, and many companies are hard at work. For example:
Aurora Public Schools will kick- start five building projects next spring, including a high school and primary-middle school campus.
The district on Thursday released a construction schedule for the $215 million bond program approved by voters in November.
The bond allows for about $201 million for building improvements and nearly $14 million for technology. Construction will be completed by 2013.

new technolgy vs masonry

Not to slam the advertising industry, but sometimes their concepts get silly.
Take, for example, the predictions about the new i-phone:
"Amazon on i-phone: Death by camera to Brick-and-Mortar stores"
As an avid photographer, I've used some pretty rugged cameras. Never used one yet that could stand up to a brick, let alone a whole building. :)

Stating the obvious

More official reports have come out today, officially declaring that the US economy is in a recession and that construction spending has declined.
Thanks for the information we all already know, because we are experiencing it.
A recession, by any other name, would stink as bad.
The official announcement that stinks even worse, is the report that the commercial market is about to experience a mortgage crisis of its own, with the same causes as the residential mortgage crisis. Hotels, shopping malls and office buildings going dark because the owners can't pay the new bank rate on their mortgage or can't re-fi the 5 year financing. For example, the Associated Press is reporting "Chicago-based General Growth Properties, the nation's second-largest shopping mall owner, said late Sunday it is getting a two-week extension on $900 million in debt scheduled to come due last week as the company works to stave off bankruptcy and negotiate longer-term extensions with lenders.
Aren't roller coasters supposed to go up once in a while?