Not all home remodel projects are equal
when it comes to how they will impact the price of your home when you put it on
the market. While it may seem logical that endeavoring a large home addition
like a master suite or installing an in-ground pool should increase your home’s
value and pay dividends on those remodeling costs, that is not always the case.
The return on investment (ROI) of your next home remodel is easy to calculate,
and something that you can also get help with from your local home remodeling
contractor.
The Conco Companies continues to build
its reputation as one of the leading commercial concrete
contractors in Portland with two multi-use and multi-family residential projects in the
downtown area. As the city’s need for more residential units continues, many in
the construction and development industry are working to meet the demand with modern
designs, striking and resilient materials, and skilled workmanship. The results
are a boom to the community and to Portland’s skyline, as well as to the
portfolios of groups involved in their creation.
San Francisco is a city that features
several distinct styles and trends in building design, from historic Victorian
residences to modern high-rise buildings to revamped industrial multi-use
spaces. The varied features of the diverse built environment of the city
contribute in part to San Francisco’s famed character, and likewise, requires
expertise from those building the ever-changing city and are up to the
challenge of integrating new projects into the dynamic landscape. Beyond the
challenge of incorporating the aesthetic of the project into the existing
neighborhood or space, new projects in San Francisco also have the added
challenges of being able to withstand the seismic activity of the area, as well
as accommodating the iconic slopes of its steep hills. Given these
considerations, it is logical that a key contribution to any project is that of
an experienced commercial concrete
contractor in San Francisco. Concrete is a versatile and foundational element in most
projects, and its skilled mixing, placement, and finishing is essential to the
strength and durability of the final product, as well as to the quality of the
aesthetic finish.
The Biggest Little City in the World,
Reno, is not only for tourists heading to the casinos any more. These days, it
is a place that attracts people and businesses from all over Nevada and the
U.S. that are looking for an innovative and growing community to call home.
Several large and well-known companies have sites in the Reno-Sparks
metropolitan area, such as Tesla, Apple, eBay, and Amazon, and many more
continue to follow in their path. The city’s transformation into an oasis of
tech in the desert of Nevada has spurred many new construction projects to
accommodate the demand for commercial and industrial space, and has brought new
business to commercial concrete
contractors in Reno.
Los Angeles is a major city that brings
together many industries and people, and with that comes a wide range of ways
people describe it. One characterization that may offer an overarching theme is
it’s that of a place with an ever-changing cityscape. Los Angeles is a city as
fluid and flexible as the materials that created the city. Beneath the
evergreen transformation of the city lies concrete, an important component of
each project due to its strength, durability, and versatility. In order to meet
the constant demand for reshaping the city is the need for a skilled commercial concrete
contractor in Los Angeles.
Lightweight cellular concrete, also
known as lightweight concrete or foam concrete, is an exciting innovation in
concrete that has been gaining popularity over the last decade. It has many
applications that cellular concrete
contractors have been bringing
to commercial development projects across the U.S. Using cellular concrete has
helped developers save time and costs compared to traditional concrete and is
an exciting concrete product for many projects.
Your foundation is one of the essential
components of your home that you need to review periodically to ensure that
everything is in great condition. Like your roof and other parts of your house,
a visual inspection can help you get ahead of issues. If you find any issues
with your foundation, it is best to call a local general contractor that can help you
determine the severity of the issue.
Concrete is nothing short of a wonder
material. If we did not have a construction material that can take on nearly
any shape or form, our modern life would look very different. Not only is
concrete able to be molded, it has an immense compressive strength which allows
it to support even the tallest buildings. The other remaining element that
makes it truly a wonder material is that its components are extremely plentiful
- cement, water, and aggregate. This combination of a flowable material that
hardens to have an extreme compressive force, all with materials that are
widely available, has completely changed the world we live in today. It’s
this amazing combination that allows concrete
contractors, like The Conco
Companies, to offer services to create impressive buildings throughout the
western U.S.
Every home remodel is exciting. It
gives you the ability to refashion your home for your needs in the coming years
and update the design and features. One of the most impactful remodels is a
bathroom. Whether it’s adding a new bathroom or remodeling an existing one, a
bathroom remodel can dramatically change the look and feel of your home. For
your update, consider including a glass shower
enclosure in your new
bathroom.
When it comes to choosing their next
home remodeling project, many homeowners opt to look outside to the potential
that lay untapped in their yards. Though retaining walls may seem like a project that’s not quite related to home
renovation, they are actually very important to the overall value and
structural stability of many of the homes they surround, and a remodeling
option that can have positive returns. Retaining walls are constructed to hold
soil back and can be made of concrete, interlocking blocks of stone, treated
wood, or other materials. It is recommended that if your retaining wall will be
larger than three feet tall, that you consult a general contractor or engineer as the structure is meant to hold heavy loads
of saturated soil and also impacts how water runoff interacts with the
landscape.
As there many reasons a homeowner may
need to have glass repaired – an errant baseball through the window, a crack in
a glass shower door, or even a revealing energy audit pointing its finger at
leaky doors or windows – it makes sense that it is a common home project.
Nonetheless, when it comes time to undergo this process yourself, it may feel
like you are not quite sure how best to prepare. The good news is that
regardless of the type of glass repair you are undertaking, preparing for it is
pretty straightforward and when you are done, you’ve helped to make the whole operation
easier for your household and the window repair and
installation professionals you’ve hired.
When experienced concrete contractors
go to work on a large construction project, they work closely with architects,
engineers, and their customers to ensure their portion of the project utilizes
the best cost- and time-saving methods, all while delivering a strong and
lasting final product. With these goals in mind, concrete
contractors in Portland such as The Conco Companies have incorporated shotcrete into
their wheelhouses.
Concrete pumping allows large quantities of concrete to be placed
at a distance. It is one of the major innovations in concrete technology that
has allowed concrete to shape the modern world. Before concrete was pumped, it
needed to be moved by hand, a slow and more dangerous process. Now a large
volume of concrete can be pumped over great distances and heights. The Conco
Companies offer concrete pumping as part of its wide range of concrete contractor
services, and have lent their
expertise to several notable projects constructed over the last several years,
such as the Wilshire Grand Center, the Salesforce Tower, and the San Francisco
49ers Stadium.
When it comes to increasing their home
value and curb appeal, some homeowners are looking to their driveways for their
next remodeling project. One popular method for refinishing this exterior space
is with pavers. Pavers are a versatile building material that have several
benefits, and with the help of your local general contractor, can be installed relatively quickly and easily. Unlike with
concrete or asphalt driveways, a paver driveway does not require curing time
and is ready to be used once it is installed and admired by those who drive by.
The Conco Companies are one of the
leading post-tensioning suppliers in the western United States. Conco operates
two large, state-of-the-art rebar and post-tensioning production facilities to
provide their customers a single source for all their post-tensioning and rebar supply in Portland and the Western U.S. Conco leverages its significant
experience in production and construction to provide high quality reinforcement
materials for each of their projects.
Aggregate is the particulate material
that provides structure to concrete, such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone.
Choosing the appropriate aggregate for the concrete mixtures is extremely
important to the performance of the concrete. Aggregate can occupy up to 75%
volume of the concrete. There are also more recent types of concrete, such as Confoam by Conco, that use only fine aggregate to create lightweight concrete.
That means that the choice of aggregate greatly affects the strength, weight,
cost, and other properties of the concrete.
There
are several important reasons to have double pane windows installed. At Dan’s
Glass, we recommend double pane glass to homeowners who are trying to reduce
utility bills or increase their property value, among other reasons. We thought
that a short discussion on the benefits of double pane windows could
answer many common questions and help you make a more informed decision about
your home window glass.
Concrete is one of the most important
technologies of the modern world, and it is the result of an ever innovating
industry. Two hundred years ago, concrete use was limited. Innovations in
strength, placement, additives, and operations have transformed concrete the
world over. As concrete has become more specialized in its capabilities, it is
more important than ever to work with a great concrete contractor to ensure
that your project is done right. Knowledge, experience, and organizational
capacity are three key characteristics to look for in a great concrete contractor.
Concrete is part of the movement
towards more environmentally sustainable built environments. As cities and
urban centers grew throughout the 20th century and environmental impacts of the
built environment became better understood, sustainable building practices have
become a focus of industries and states across the country. Documented by the
U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certification, sustainable building
practices include concrete as a major building material. Concrete’s capacity to
recycle materials, its thermal properties, and other characteristics make it a
sustainable choice for many building projects, including concrete contractor projects in Portland.
At The Lumber Baron, we tell our
customers that one of the advantages of using reclaimed lumber is that it has
already stood the test of time. Because of that, it is not as susceptible to
rot, insects, or mildew as new growth lumber would be. With that said, there
are still some best practices that should be used to ensure that your reclaimed
lumber continues to be durable and look good for years to come. Additionally,
sealing exposed exterior lumber helps prevent mildew and mold from growing on
horizontal surfaces, keeping things like decks safer for the whole family to
use.
Improving
your home can be both fun and rewarding. It is exciting to plan a home
remodeling project and imagining new functional spaces for your changing needs
and updating the design of your home. However, depending on your project, it
may be better to work with a general contractor rather than do the whole
project by yourself. Here are a few things to keep in mind to know when you
should consider calling a general contractor in your area.
Decorative concrete is an easy to install, long lasting, and
sustainable flooring material. It is also extremely versatile and is an
aesthetically-pleasing surfacing that can be customized to work with nearly any
environment. With so many benefits, why is decorative concrete still
under-utilized, even in cities like Portland’s
concrete projects?
Modern cities have come to be defined in part by their skyline.
From the Space Needle in Seattle to the new Salesforce Tower in San Francisco
to the iconic Empire State Building in New York City, skyscrapers and the
innovation of concrete
construction techniques have become part of our cities'
identities.
Concrete is a
uniquely versatile building material because of its readily available
components, its ability to be placed as a liquid, and its high compression
strength that allows it to support the tremendous weights required in
construction. Despite these qualities, concrete alone does have a few
drawbacks. Concrete can be brittle and weak against lateral forces like
bending. Many techniques have been developed to improve concrete's performance
in certain situations, such as post-tensioning. Post-tensioning is a technique
used to reinforce concrete over unstable surfaces and across spans. It is a
very safe concrete strengthening technique that has gained popularity in the
last few decades as the technique has been perfected, with trainings and
certifications standardized. In any project that calls for reinforced concrete,
it is important to utilize a skilled concrete contracting team like The Conco
Companies, the leading steel reinforcing concrete contractor in Portland.
One of the main
characteristics that makes concrete a great construction material is that it
remains a liquid after mixing all its components until it cures to become a
solid. The fact that concrete is a liquid mixture allows it to be transported
through pressurized piping, like how water moves throughout a city. Pumping
concrete means that it can be mixed and held in a different location than where
it will be finally placed. Over the last 100 years, concrete pumping technology
has advanced to accelerate the concrete
placement process and push the boundaries of the scale and
accessibility of concrete projects.
If
it has been a while since you last visited Oakland, CA, you are in for a
surprise. Over the
last few years, Oakland has seen dozens of new construction projects throughout
its downtown core and nearby neighborhoods. The Conco
Companies have been pleased to be involved in several of
them.
Since
the passage of Ordinance 183893 in 2015, the City of Los Angeles has been busy
identifying non-ductile concrete buildings that require seismic retrofitting to
come up code. Along with all of the
other concrete
services we provide, The Conco Companies is providing professional
seismic retrofitting for pre-1978 non-ductile concrete buildings in L.A.
