BENEFITS OF USING CONCRETE IN CONSTRUCTION

Concrete is one of the most versatile, sustainable building materials in the construction industry. Whether it’s being used for a domestic or commercial project, concrete is ideal for giving you the results that you want. But what are the other benefits of using concrete in construction? EasyMix are on hand to tell you.

Concrete is environmentally-friendly

Something people don’t often realise is that concrete is environmentally friendly. Here at EasyMix, we produce our concrete locally. This means that long periods of transportation aren’t needed, helping to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum. To further complement this, concrete is completely inert when cured, meaning it will not emit:

• Gas
• Toxic compounds
• Volatile organic compounds

Concrete is also 100% recyclable. It can be ground down into pieces and mixed with other materials to produce aggregate. Aggregate can be used as a sub-base for many structures, and is often used to protect shorelines. This reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfill, something which helps the environment even further and aids in keeping carbon footprints down.

Concrete is highly cost-effective

Due to its high durability and resilience, concrete is incredibly easy to maintain, often lasting for many decades without reconstruction work being needed. Due to its renowned strength, insurance costs for buildings or other structures made from concrete will be relatively low in comparison to buildings made from other, more fragile or combustible materials. The low cost, together with the durability that concrete provides, makes it a highly popular material within the construction industry.

Concrete is strong, durable and resilient

Due to its strong, durable properties, concrete is perfect for many different uses and applications throughout the construction industry. Whether you’re looking to undertake a domestic or commercial project, concrete will provide you with a sturdy, trustworthy solution.

Concrete structures continuously stand the test of time, often lasting for many years with little maintenance required. Spaghetti Junction, a highway connecting the M1, M5 and M6 motorways, was designed to carry around 75,000 vehicles per day. To date, over 2 billion vehicles have passed through since its opening in 1972. This is an excellent example of where concrete has been used and tested to its limits.

175,000 cubic yards of concrete was used to construct Spaghetti Junction, helping to erect 559 concrete columns that are still there today. Nearly 50 years later, the structure is still standing tall, continuing to link thousands of motorists to major motorways every single day.

Concrete is energy-efficient

Concrete has the ability to store energy, therefore helping to moderate temperatures within a concrete building. As such, heating and cooling demands (particularly for a large structure) will reduce, subsequently saving you money.

As a result of its ultimate energy-efficiency, concrete has been used in combination with certain heating and cooling technologies, including:

• Radiant floors
• Geothermal heating and cooling systems
• Hydronic heating and cooling systems

Concrete is versatile

Despite being strong, sturdy and incredibly resilient when hardened, concrete can be adapted and moulded into several shapes and forms. As well as this, concrete is also available in a variety of textures, each offering different finishes. Whether you’d like a smooth or decorative surface, concrete can provide optimum versatility, making it the perfect building material for your every need.

Concrete compared to other construction materials

It’s hugely popular to shop around and conduct some research into the different building materials that are on offer. Concrete, compared to other materials, is often cheaper, stronger and more sustainable. So, for your peace of mind, we’ll be comparing concrete with a variety of different materials to help you determine whether or not concrete is the ideal solution.

Concrete vs Wood

Where concrete is durable, low maintenance and non-combustible, wood is not. By its very nature, wood is prone to moisture retention which can cause it to rot. This subsequently weakens the wood, meaning more maintenance will have to be done on it.

From a safety perspective, wood is incredibly combustible and so would fuel a fire should one break out. Concrete on the other hand is not, so you can rest assured that the concrete bones of your building will remain in tact.

Wood is also less effective when it comes to soundproofing, whereas the thick, resilient properties of concrete will ensure noise is kept to a minimum – which is especially useful when building particular types of accommodation or when constructing an office building.

Concrete vs Brick

Despite being a sturdy building material, brick isn’t as strong as concrete. When it comes to the strength of a brick wall for example, it can entirely depend on the quality of mortar being used. Concrete doesn’t need to rely on an adjoining material, and so it remains to be stronger and more durable than a structure constructed using bricks and mortar.

Concrete is also more versatile than brick, as it can be shaped and manipulated into the desired form with minimal effort required. Brick often extinguishes any creative ideas you had for a new structure. Opt for concrete and the possibilities are endless.

Concrete will often be less expensive than brick and mortar. Concrete doesn’t require copious amounts of raw materials to be used, nor does it require the time of a bricklayer. As such, brick can be up to 20% more expensive than concrete, meaning you’ll be quids-in when you choose concrete as your building material.

How EasyMix can help you

Here at EasyMix, we can provide our customers with a variety of different concrete types, both for commercial and domestic construction projects. With a fleet of volumetric trucks, and prompt, efficient concrete delivery and on-site concrete mixing services available, we’ll always be happy to help.

We can provide between 1 and 10 cubic metres of ready mixed concrete or screed from one truck load, freshly mixed to British Standards, so you can rest assured that you’re receiving high-quality concrete every single time.

To find out how much concrete you may need for your project, use our online calculator. However, if you find that you’ve ordered too much, then don’t worry! We will only charge you for the amount you have used. Don’t hesitate to talk to a member of our team today for further help and advice.

EasyMix are proud to provide customers throughout Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, North London and the surrounding areas with quality concrete that has been produced to exceptionally high standards. Whether you’re undertaking a commercial or domestic project, EasyMix will have you covered.

For more information about how we can help you, get in touch with us today.