Ready-mix concrete is popular for all kinds of construction projects. So, if you’re a homeowner building a home or a general contractor, here are some benefits of ordering ready mix concrete delivery.
Reasons To Use Ready-Mix Concrete For Home Construction Projects
Uniform Quality
Better quality control, leading to uniform quality, is one of the major reasons why ready-mixed concrete is so popular and preferred for most construction projects. Generally, when concrete is mixed on-site during home constructions, every homeowner and contractor is bothered by the fact that the concrete quality is not consistent in every batch.
Non-uniform and inconsistent quality can significantly impact any construction project because this means the concrete hasn’t been up to the requirements, which makes it useless. And if it’s used, it can compromise the structural integrity of the house.
Therefore, there was always a need for a way to ensure that the entire amount of concrete mix needed for a project has uniform quality, and ready-mix concrete fulfills that.
How? Because ready-mix concrete is manufactured in special facilities with all the required tools and equipment to manufacture concrete exactly as required. And the best part is that a higher quantity doesn’t impact the uniform quality of concrete.
Stronger And More Durable
Uniform quality of concrete also means that you get the exact concrete quality you require for your project. Ready-mix concrete is made in special plants that ensure precise concrete mixing with no room for error. So, the concrete you get delivered to the site is about 40% stronger and more durable than site-mixed concrete. This translates to reliable structures and safer homes.
Saves Times
Traditionally, concrete mixing takes a lot of time before it’s ready for placement and finishing. There are ingredients and mixers moved to a location, where concrete is mixed in small batches, and then it is moved to the placement location.
This may sound fine until there is a way that can drastically reduce this time-consumption of the storing, mixing, and transporting phases. Ready-mix concrete can save time because all you need to do is order concrete and it will arrive in a truck, and then you can go ahead and begin placing concrete. This makes house construction so much faster and more efficient.
No Cold Joints
What is a cold joint? Let’s say you’re pouring concrete to form a slab. But as you keep pouring, you take a break or there is no concrete left to pour to complete the slab. So, you wait for the next batch and then pour more on the hardened concrete. This creates a visible seam or weak point, which shows that the work was stopped at a point when it shouldn’t be stopped. That is a cold joint.
A cold joint can lead to crumbling, delamination, and increased porosity, which is bad news for anyone who wants a strong structure.
So, why are cold joints common in traditional concrete mixing? Because there can be instances when there can be delays in concrete mixing (bad batch, equipment failure, etc.) that can cause interruptions in pours, leading to cold joints. However, in case of ready-mixed concrete, you already get the required amount of concrete mix for the entire day delivered to the site. So, there are no delays in pours and no cold joints.
Cost-Effective
Ready-mix concrete can save you money on a typical home construction, albeit being costlier than site-mixed concrete.
Many companies do charge more for smaller quantities, which makes read-mix concrete unfavorable for very small projects, but a home construction isn’t a small project. So, if you compare costs, ready-mix concrete may cost you 10% to 40% less than site-mixed concrete.
How? Because the bulk of the charges of ready-mix concrete lie in the cost of the material and the delivery fees. You need minimal workers for handling concrete and you also don’t need any equipment for mixing.
On the other hand, for on-site concrete mixing, you have the cost of the concrete ingredients, the mixer and other equipment, skilled workers for mixing concrete, more general workers for transporting concrete, and then there is also wastage during mixing that adds up and makes this option costlier.
Now, remember that you should also factor in the fact that you would finish the project much faster with ready-mix concrete. So, saved labor costs from this aspect as well. Usually, you can finish a project of the same requirements 30% to 50% faster with ready-mix concrete, compared to site-mixed concrete. So, ordering concrete mix delivery Rockville does reduce costs.
Reduced Material Waste
Material wastage is a big problem when it comes to on-site concrete mixing. As this process is manual, there won’t be perfect results in terms of quality and quantity. There may be overproduction of concrete, a bad batch, spillage during mixing, poor storage of materials, and other problems that lead to material waste, increasing the material and labor costs as well as waste removal costs.
On the flip side you have ready-mix concrete that is manufactured using accurate mix designs in precise quantities required, leaving minimal room for waste. So, this reduces costs.
More Eco-Friendly
Tying in with the above point, reduced material wastage means it’s a more environmentally-friendly choice. Apart from that, during the production, manufacturers use recycled materials, like fly ash and slag. These are the by-products of construction processes. So, using them helps the environment.
Moreover, all the required concrete for a project is manufactured in a controlled facility at once, in comparison to using fuel-hungry mixers to make many small batches of concrete. This also reduces the carbon footprint.
Now, ready-mix concrete delivery causes carbon emission, but you can reduce it by using the services of local RMC plants that are near you. This will actually reduce delivery fees as well. Due to this, you can also use it for a major home improvement project as well.
Safer Site And Less Strain On Workers
With ready-mix concrete, there is no need to store ingredients, handle mixing equipment, and then mix concrete. So, there is much less clutter on the construction site. The site would be much safer with minimal tripping hazards and dusty air.
Moreover, as there is no on-site concrete mixing involved, the work on the site may be less strenuous for workers because they only have to focus on pouring and finishing concrete. Simply, they have one or two fewer things to worry about. Less stress on workers improves productivity, which is a win-win.
Flexibility In Concrete Design
Site-mixed concrete is known for flexibility in the design mix, but ready-mix concrete offers it as well – with uniform quality. For home constructions, you may need various types of concrete, like normal-strength concrete, high-strength concrete, plain concrete, self-compacting concrete, lightweight concrete, high-performance concrete, air-entrained concrete, and others.
So, you can order the types you want in the required quantity you need and you will have it delivered to the site.
Conclusion
Ready-mix concrete is excellent for home construction projects because it offers uniform quality, stronger concrete, lower costs, reduced waste, faster construction, and flexibility in the mix design. If you have any queries, get in touch with ready mix concrete suppliers Gaithersburg.