Reg Weller has
always liked concrete instead of wood.
In the 1960s, when boat makers started using fiberglass to build
boats, Weller had a boat built of concrete embedded with wire mesh.
Weller developed a dislike for wood after experiencing termite
problems in apartments and houses he owns and rents. With these
experiences in mind, Weller is having his 3,600-square-foot Green
Cove Springs house built with concrete.
"Wood was never a consideration," said Weller, who is retired.
The walls and the roof of his house are precast concrete slabs
comprised of wire mesh and steel joists located 4 feet apart.
"I felt it would be stronger," Weller said. "I think it would be
tough to duplicate this house with sticks [wood]."
Weller's two-story house is a rarity in this part of the state
because most houses are built with wood or hollow concrete blocks.
Most houses are built with a concrete slab as the foundation, not as
the walls and roofs. But owners of a few local startup companies are
hoping more people want houses built like Weller's.
With the threat of houses being damaged by storm winds and
termites, the owners of these companies say concrete houses are
stronger and more durable.
For homeowners, a drawback is that houses built with reinforced
concrete and precast concrete slabs might be a little more expensive
to build than those built with wood or concrete blocks. The
long-term benefits for those who own houses built with reinforced
concrete or concrete slabs are savings on insurance premiums, fewer
repairs due to termite damage or wood rot, and lower utility bills
because of the better insulation concrete provides, housing experts
say.
Home builders are not expected to trade in their hammers and
nails for more concrete anytime soon. Experts say concrete methods
have not been on the market long enough to have proved their
effectiveness, and few workers have yet to attain the skills needed
to build the concrete houses.
"Tract home builders can get plenty of carpenters and masons, but
for precast, there are few people who know how to build using
concrete slabs and reinforced concrete," said Bob Givens, senior
vice president at Structural Engineers Group Inc. in Jacksonville.
"Maybe in 10 years things will change," Givens said.
Expecting a change
The Breault family is hoping it won't take a decade before
concrete becomes a popular material for houses.
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The trimmed tops of
concrete forms are piled outside a home under construction in
the San Marco area. The Styrofoam forms are left in place
after the concrete is poured, as seen on the house at right,
and stucco, brick or wood can be added to the exterior.
-- Will
Dickey/Staff
CLICK PHOTO TO
ENLARGE
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For the past six years, the
Breaults' Green Cove Springs business, American Structural Systems
Inc., has shipped millions of tons of precast concrete to South
Florida for the construction of several condominium complexes and
single-family houses.
The company's main source of business has been making concrete
for the construction of commercial buildings. Concrete is commonly
used in a process called tilt-up construction for the building of
office and industrial buildings.
Now, the company is pursuing building concrete houses in
Jacksonville. It made the precast concrete for Weller's house. The
Breaults are now trying to convince home builders to use the precast
concrete method of construction.
So far, the company has not had any takers.
Andre Breault, the semi-retired founder of the company, works
with his son, Chris Breault, who is the operations manager. Andre
Breault's wife, Huguette Breault, is the company's president. The
Breaults recently hired Edmund Duchantier to market their product.
"He is going to create a demand for this product," Andre Breault
said. "I know there is a market."
But the Breaults are staying busy by providing slabs for two
custom houses: Weller's house and a three-story, 9,100-square-foot
house in Flagler County for another homeowner.
The average cost to build a house with concrete slabs is $17 a
square foot. It is difficult to give a specific price per square
foot for a wood-frame house because there are several variables that
determine how much wood will be needed, several home builders said.
Andre Breault said the construction process is similar to putting
together a toy Lego set.
Each 5 1/2-inch-thick concrete slab, which consists of wire mesh
and rebar, is set in place by a crane. The slabs are locked together
with concrete grout that is poured into the grooves of the slabs.
But there are other ways to build houses with concrete.
Tom Brown's company, Tri-Corp Construction Group Inc. of
Jacksonville, believes in concrete, too. The company builds 6
1/2-inch reinforced concrete walls. That process produces continuous
walls by pouring concrete between two pieces of Styrofoam. The
Styrofoam serves as additional insulation for the house.
That process is done at the house in contrast to the Breaults'
method, which is done at the company's facility and transported to
the site.
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Reg Weller's Green
Cove Springs home is being constructed with precast concrete
by American Structural Systems Inc. Concrete and rebar are
seen in this view of the second floor.
-- Bob
Self/Staff
CLICK PHOTO TO
ENLARGE
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Tri-Corp is building a model
house in the Tuscany neighborhood of St. Augustine. The company has
built about 10 custom houses.
While the Breaults want more business, Brown said he is content
with building a few houses a year. After all, Brown said it would
add 20 percent to 30 percent more to the price of a house if he had
to hire subcontractors to use the method in a large number of
houses.
A lack of workers skilled to install either concrete method is
keeping home builders from converting to a concrete building method,
Givens said.
Concrete drawbacks
Niche home builders, including American Structural Systems and
Tri-Corp, usually have small crews that build a relatively small
number of houses a year.
The limited number of people in the area who know how to build
with these concrete methods would prevent one large home builder
from using the reinforced or precast concrete method of building.
Large home builders need a large labor pool to build houses.
"If we are selling 300 or 400 houses a year, that does not help
us much," said Bob Porter, Centex Homes' Jacksonville division
president.
"I want to see some success with that method," he said. "I know
what to expect from a typical frame house. I know we can seal up a
house so we don't have water intrusion."
One local custom home building company is not using concrete to
build houses because it does not allow flexibility once a house is
constructed.
"We let buyers make changes, and that is why we could not use
anything that is precast concrete," said Cris Smith, project manager
at ARMCO Builders, a custom home building company in Orange Park.
Concrete advantage
There are some advantages to building a concrete house, including
savings tied to insurance premiums and utility bills and fewer
repairs related to wood rot.
Any kind of masonry products used in the construction of a house
will result in a lower insurance premium compared with a house built
with wood, according to insurance experts and officials.
Insurance premiums are based on the material of the exterior
walls, said Kathy Thomas, a spokeswoman for All-State Floridian
Insurance Co.'s regional office in St. Petersburg.
Insurance premiums for houses built with concrete and masonry
products are priced anywhere from 15 percent to 20 percent lower
than those built with wood, Thomas said.
Homeowners can receive additional discounts for extra protection
against wind storms on a situational basis.
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Chris Breault
(right) and his father, Andre Breault, stand among the precast
concrete pieces that will be used to construct a
9,100-square-foot oceanfront home near Marineland. The house
will be 150 feet long by 50 feet deep and made up of 500 tons
of concrete pieces built by American Structural Systems Inc.
of Green Cove Springs.
-- Bob
Self/Staff
CLICK PHOTO TO
ENLARGE
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Thomas said because most houses
are built with wood, the insurance industry does not have a specific
discount category for houses like Weller's. However, that might
change.
"As new construction standards evolve, so will our claim
experiences," Thomas said. "And so will our rates."
Hagen Gocht, owner of Force One Walls in Jacksonville, is seeing
an increasing demand for concrete houses. Gocht said concrete houses
are in greater demand because they can withstand the area's
inclement weather, fire and termite damage.
"The termites are having a feast in Florida," Gocht said. "When
you build a wood-frame house, you are putting up a banquet buffet
for termites."
He said concrete block houses did not withstand the winds
associated with Hurricane Andrew.
"The reason why is that even though they were built with concrete
blocks, those blocks are hollow."
Getting closer
With the exception of a few delays in the construction process,
Weller said he is pleased with the progress. The house is expected
to be completed by the beginning of the year.
Now that the concrete shell is up, work will now begin on the
inside of the house. The frame will be metal instead of wood. Weller
said he does not have a price tag for the house because there are
some unknown costs associated with the house's completion.
"We are where I thought we would be," Weller said.
Business writer Earl Daniels can be reached at (904)
359-4689 or via e-mail at edanielsjacksonville.com.
