Precast concrete has been gaining traction here in Kenya and around the globe over the past few years thanks to how it’s modernizing how people build. The new building technology has many perks to offer compared to the traditional ndarugo brick-and-mortar construction mode.
One of the key benefits precast concrete offers you as a project owner is time saving, which consequently has a huge impact on the overall cost of your project.
Precast concrete is premade in a factory setting where it’s allowed to cure before being transported to the construction site for assembly. This allows construction to happen at supersonic speed.
Let’s explore three ways in which precast concrete will help you save time as you get your project done.
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Will Save You Time on the Foundation and Upper Slab
Your time saving will begin at the foundation level. Since precast materials are already premade, all that is required is assembly at the site. Time will be saved on not having to do excessive excavation and backfilling as you would with a traditional foundation. All you need is to construct a foundation wall and suspend your precast beam and blocks or beam and panel slab on top of it. Once this is complete, a slight screed of around 50 mm is done to complete the slab.
You stand to save more time if you are constructing in an area where there is cotton soil. For instance, by suspending a foundation using precast, you can get a 150 SQM slab done in 3 days compared to more than a week if you went the traditional way. This not only saves you time but also money since you won’t have to do excessive excavation and backfilling.
You will also save time when doing your upper slabs, which can be done in 1 or 2 days. All that is required is setting precast components on top of the ring beam before applying a slight screed to complete the slab.
See the different kinds of precast slabs that exist and the time and cost benefits they offer here.
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Precast Concrete Will Save You Time on Your Walling
Another area where precast will save you money is when doing your house walling. For instance, it takes only 2 days to assemble a precast wall for a standard 150 SQM bungalow. Compare this to the 5 days it would take you the traditional way.
Add another week for plastering the wall. Remember with precast you don’t have to plaster, as the wall panels are already pre-plastered. Then add another 2 to 3 weeks it takes to cure the plaster.
In total you will save almost a whole month when it comes to the time it takes to complete your house wall. And as you know, time is money; the longer the period construction workers spend on the walling, the more it will cost you.
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Precast Concrete Will Save You Time on Your Perimeter Wall
Finally, precast will save you a lot of time when it comes to doing your fence. For instance, it takes around 3 to 4 days to fence a 90M or 50 ft by 100 ft piece of land using precast materials. The first day involves erecting the H-beams and building a foundation wall around them. The next will involve curing the foundation wall, and the third day mounting the precast wall panels on the H-beams.
Compare that to fencing your property the traditional way, where fundis can’t build more than 150 ft of stones a day. This means the earliest you can complete your perimeter wall is between one and two weeks.
See how to calculate the cost of building a precast perimeter wall here.
That said, by choosing precast for your construction, not only will you be saving on time but also on costs. The faster speed times are only possible since the precast materials are already premade in a factory, and all that is required is assembly at the construction site.
You can learn more about how to use precast technology for your construction project by clicking here.