The obvious solution to these problems would be to simply stop installing impervious surfaces. If only it were so easy. But wait! What if there was a material that was as durable as traditional paving techniques that would capture rainwater and allow it to percolate through to the soil below? What if there was a material that would actually assist percolation instead of preventing it? Such a material does indeed exist. It’s called pervious concrete, also known as porous or permeable concrete.

Pervious concrete is a mixture of coarse aggregate, cement and water. It contains little or no sand. The cement and water create a thick paste binding the aggregate particles together, but with many voids and spaces between them. This creates a system of highly permeable, connected voids, usually 15% to 25% of the structure, that drain very quickly. Pervious concrete allows 3 to 8 gallons of water to pass through each per square foot of material per minute, although the formulation can be changed to double that amount if needed.

The strength of pervious concrete is limited due to the high porosity, but it has sufficient strength for many applications such as hardscaping, low volume pavements, alleys and driveways, low water crossings, parking lots, sidewalks and pathways, patios, etc.

Pervious concrete has the capability to help recharge groundwater and reduce stormwater runoff. By doing so, it reduces the need for retention ponds, swales and other stormwater management techniques.

An excellent example of the use of permeable concrete comes from the City of Chicago. The city contains 1,900 miles of public alleys, the equivalent of 3,500 acres. Most have neither drainage structures or a connection to the sewer system. After years of degradation, localized flooding became a problem. As a result, the City developed the Chicago Green Alley Program to use and promote best management practices in stormwater management. The goal was to address drainage issues without costly sewer infrastructure improvements.

To accomplish it’s goal, the Green Alley Program combined sustainable building techniques such as recycled materials, reflective pavements, energy efficient lighting and permeable paving to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff put into the stormwater sewer system by 80%, reduce localized flooding, and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Light colored, pervious concrete, made with recycled materials, was chosen as a component of this program for it’s durability and environmentally sustainable properties. In this situation, pervious concrete allows stormwater runoff to percolate into the soil and reduce the stormwater load going into the City’s sewer system.

Engineers and architects are beginning to view pervious concrete as the preferred method of managing stormwater. The ability to manage stormwater on confined commercial sites without retention or detention facilities, also gives developers an advantage. Residential developers are also beginning to find ways to use pervious concrete to make their projects greener while reducing costs. Rather than pay for infrastructure to move stormwater to retention facilities, these developers can allow nature to replenish the water table directly. The reduction or even elimination of retention facilities allows these developers to lower costs while providing extra room for green space.

In Michigan, a homeowner had a poorly constructed driveway which caused minor flooding in the garage. The traditional solution would be to rip out the entire driveway, regrade and reinstall. The contractor involved however, suggested removing only 1/6 of the driveway near the garage and putting in pervious concrete to solve the problem. The water that would have flooded the garage now flows down through the permeable concrete into the soil below. This solution cost only a fraction of the cost of the alternative.

Acceptance of pervious concrete has been widespread. The EPA now recommends pervious concrete as a Best Management Practice for the management of stormwater runoff on a regional and local basis. In addition, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) now has a National level program in place to certify contractors in the installation of pervious concrete.

How is the square footage calculated? Do you count the garage, a basement, what about rooms that are cathedrals or raised? I’ve seen these questions answered differently by many builders or their marketing departments.

The design alone is a huge factor with a ranch home being the most expensive to multi-story homes which offer the lowest by dividing the foundation and roof cost by the number of stories. With the building materials that are available to most builders, a square floor plan or box shaped home offers the highest ratio of floor space to the area of the exterior walls. This certainly may not be the most pleasing design, but it is the most efficient as to cost to construct on a square footage cost basis.

The materials used can cause a huge difference on the same floor plan. A brick or stone veneer usually has a very attractive appearance, giving the home a rich, substantial look, but adding a tremendous amount of cost in comparison to the same sized home with vinyl siding. One example of many.

The kitchen is the most expensive room in a home. The cost difference of cabinets can vary from affordable to very high end with prices many times higher. Today, many customers are choosing granite countertops, very nice but hugely more expensive. The same is true for appliances.

Permits are another issue when planning on building a new home. In most areas, the permit costs of tapping into the sanitary sewer and water line make up the biggest part of the total permit costs. This cost is the same, regardless of square footage of home. This is also the same from a labor and material cost stand point when the contractor connects the piping involved from the main lines to the new home.

The examples go on and on, making it impossible to state a builders square footage costs on all the homes they build. Obviously, once a plan is bid, the square footage price can be calculated.

If a low square footage cost of your new home is your goal, it is suggested that you build a large two story home with standard materials. The reason is a large home is likely to have a lower square footage cost, is that there are so many costs that are or to close to the same on a small home as a larger home using the same building materials. The examples of this goes on and on. Here’s some things to think about. If the lot and the materials are the same, the exterior concrete costs will be the same. The driveway, lead walk, and public walks. The front door, the house to garage door, and garage door will cost the same. The garage door opener will cost the same. Going to the inside is much more of the same. If there is the same amount of bathrooms, the cost of these will be the same. I’m sure now you can see the trend and these costs will be divided by a smaller number of square feet on a smaller home than on a larger home. This effects the square footage costs when the building materials are the same.

These are some thinking points for you to use if planning to minimize the cost per square ft. of your new home.

1. You can start this business from home. You can operate from your garage with no added costs. You can start out this way and when the business grows you can move to larger premises to accomodate your concrete block making machine and the drying racks for hundreds of concrete blocks.

2. You can start your concrete blocks business with hand made molds. You make these from plywood and sheet metal at very low cost. These molds are easy to make in your home workshop from available plans and instructions. Using hand molds one person can turn out 100 concrete blocks per day quite easily.

3. The demand for concrete blocks,and many other concrete products which you can make,never falters. They are a commodity which the building trades use to build all types of structure from tiny back yard projects to huge buildings. As long as building continues there will be a demand for your products.

4. Concrete blocks are not one day wonder widgets. Some items have a huge demand for a very limited period then fade from the scene. Think of the hula hoop or Rubik’s cube. Things like this are a short term craze which is quickly replaced by the next one. Concrete products however continue to be in demand year after year and the demand increases steadily.

5. When you start a home based business there is no big monetary risk. You can start with as little as a few hundred dollars. All you need is the plywood and sheet metal to build your hand molds and a supply of the basic materials for your concrete mix. These are Portland cement,gravel,sand and water. All of these can be obtained at your local building suopply store.

6. When you supply your products to buyers in your local area you have no high transportation costs. Concrete products are costly to transport from a distant maker because of their weight and size. You can supply home town customers at a very good price and make an excellent profit.

7. When your business grows to the point that you can no longer make enough blocks with hand molds you will need a concrete block machine. The only downside is that this is expensive. The machine will pay for it’s cost by increasing your production greatly. The other way to do it is to make your own machine at very low cost from auto parts and a few bits and pieces. Can you build your own machine? Yes you very definitely can from plans with instructions which are readily available.

I could go on with many more reasons why you can do very well indeed in the concrete products manufacturing business. These seven reasons will paint the picture for you. Manufacturing concrete blocks and other concrete products is a profitable enterprise which you can start part time while you still hold a job. The risk is little and the rewards are great. Why not find out more about it?

Before you contact a supplier of concrete batch plants, you should identify the answers to the following questions regarding your desired concrete batch plant:

• Are you looking for a portable or stationary concrete batch plant?
• Do you want a central mix or transit mix (ready mix) plant?
• How many types of aggregates (sand, stone, etc.) will you be using?
• How many cements/additives will you be using?
• What are your hourly production requirements? (cubic yards/meters per hour)
• Consider and average US mixer truck load is 8-10 yards
• How many hours per day will your plant operate?
• Where is the plant located? Are their special considerations? (voltage, seismic area, terrain, remote, etc.)
• Do you have specific silo or bin capacity requirements?

Depending on your experience the questions above will be easier to answer for some than others. If you are unsure of your aggregates, cements, or other considerations, that’s ok, you just need to contact a concrete batch plant dealer/rep that offers consulting services. Most dealers/reps will help you evaluate your project and make specific equipment recommendations at low costs or even free.

If you need help in determining the type of equipment, cements, aggregates, production, etc, you should be prepared to discuss the specifics of the plant use:

• Why do you want to buy a plant? What are you going to use it for?
• How long do you intend to own this plant?
• What will the concrete be used for?
• How will you be moving/transporting the concrete? How many trucks do you have? How much are they going to be pouring?
• Where is your location? What type of access do you have to raw materials? Rocks? Sand? Water? Electricity?

You may not have the technically specific answers to these questions, but try to answer them as best as you can. Relate them things you know about, or have used in the past (# of truck loads per project, times of day concrete is poured, etc.)

Obviously there are many considerations in the final selection and purchase of a concrete batch plant, but thorough research and comparison shopping using consistent information and requirements will help you to ensure you comparing concrete batch plants that suit your needs. You may find a custom designed batch plant is needed for your project from one manufacturer while a “stock” design of another manufacturer fills your needs.

Remember, you need to be asking some questions yourself to make sure you can make the most informed decision. You should understand and ask questions regarding importing areas including: price, financing/leasing, hidden costs (required “accessories”), accessories/options, maintenance, parts (what is recommended to keep on hand and cost), delivery time, shipping, foundation design and prints, and the construction process.

Preparing yourself with answers to these questions and approaching a concrete batch plant dealer/rep will enable you to gather the most uniform and accurate information and make the most informed decision when you purchase your new concrete batch plant.