Concrete Homes Council News and Press

CHC News and Press

The latest news and information about the concrete homes industry

Western Forms Acquires Solid Wall Systems

Western Forms and Mercedes Homes are pleased to announce Western Forms acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Solid Wall Systems, Inc.

No Oklahoma Wind Comes Sweepin’ Down These Homes

At 10,000 and 8,500 square feet this pair of all-concrete homes is defining durability and security in the windswept plains of the Central U.S.

Source: ConcreteProductsWeb (June 2007)

Precast and Poured-in-place Pair up in Midwest [175 KB pdf]

John Hess and his brother Dan are co-owners of Best Way Foundations in Belleville, Illinois. They grew up with concrete construction, having a father and uncle who ran a construction equipment business and were dealers for Western Forms and Wall Ties & Forms. In the early 1990s, the brothers
started their own business for poured-in-place foundations.

Source: Concrete Homes (April/May 2007)

Barrier Island Retreat

Topsail, one of the North Carolina Barrier Islands, beckons to those who love living with the sun rising over the ocean and setting over the Coastal Waterways. When this synergistic combination involves a condominium built of concrete, buyers have the perfect retreat—one that stands up to the Atlantic Coast’s biggest natural threats: hurricanes.

Source: Concrete Homes (March 2007)

Fox News: Outinord Tunnel Forms at Sail Harbor [5.96MB wmv]

On June 1st, 2006, the first day of hurricane season, EH Building Group was featured on Fox News, highlighting the unique advantages of Solid-Six Construction and high-impact glass.

Source: EH Building Group (September 28, 2006)

WINK TV News: Outinord Tunnel Forms at Sail Harbor [4.8MB wmv]

This past June 1st, the first day of hurricane season, EH Building Group was featured on WINK TV News, highlighting the unique advantages of Solid-Six Construction and high-impact glass.

Source: EH Building Group (September 28, 2006)

A New Form of Home Building

The big equipment comes in to pour concrete into the forms used to construct the insulated home. A crew from Insulated Concrete Structures and oversight by employees of Western Forms make sure the pour from Red River Concrete of Duncan goes smoothly.

Source: The Daily Lawton Constitution (May 23, 2006)

Concrete Homes Council Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

CHC Press Release (April 2006)

Island Adventure

Constructing Dancing Dolphin Villa on St. John tests the extent of one builder's creativity. Anyone acquainted with the expression "island time" knows there are places in the world where life and work have a whole different rhythm--one that most Americans never encounter.

Source: Concrete Homes (May 2006)

Concrete Homes Stand Up to Earthquakes

Built according to good practices, concrete homes can be among the safest and most durable types of structures during an earthquake. Homes built with reinforced concrete walls have a record of surviving earthquakes intact, structurally sound and largely unblemished. Concrete walls include insulating concrete froms (ICFs), cast-in-place, precast or tilt-up.

Source: Residential Concrete (January 2006)

Building Fast

Using one set of tunnel forms, you can build the shell for a house in one day. Regardless of the building system or materials used, there is no faster way to build a house than with tunnel form construction. With the smallest labor force, walls and decks (ceilings) require only one forming operation and a single concrete placement. Tunnel form construction can be ideal for high-rise buildings, multifamily and single-family residences, hotels, town houses, military housing, prisons, and some warehouse applications. But to take full advantage of the system, the decision to use tunnel form construction must be made before the design process starts. There must be a crane on the jobsite, and there must be the opportunity for repetitive use of the tunnel forms.

Source: Residential Concrete (Janaury 2006)