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Sarasota Herald Tribune by Robert F. McGinty, Correspondent
Aug 07, 2004

Sometimes it takes a crisis to cause change. But such does not appear to be the case with the use of concrete in home construction.

The shortage of cement-based products, such as concrete, has been widely reported in the past several months, but reports are mixed as to whether conservative home builders are turning to alternatives as a way to ease the shortage. And even many of the "other" wall systems use concrete. "Such systems are not a sizable part of the market today," says Dickson Clements, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County. "If these things (cement shortage and spiraling building material prices) go on long enough, who knows? Right now, no one knows the answer."

Clements says he is not aware of any plans by home builders here to use alternative wall systems in construction of new homes at this time.

In fact, at the Southeast Building Conference in Orlando that concludes Sunday, the concrete shortgage received little attention on the program of seminars, and alternative wall systems none. Holding up construction?

Reports also are mixed as to whether the cement shortage is hampering home-construction activity in Sarasota County and Southwest Florida.

Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities, which is building Venetian Golf & River Club to green standards in Venice, reports no construction delays. "The only way the concrete shortage has affected us is on the days we can pour concrete, and it has not put us behind our schedule of pouring 10 new home slabs every week," says Steve Walker, Venetian project manager for WCI. "We've adjusted our building schedule and have shifted to pouring slabs only on weekdays." Walker says he has not encountered any delays in delivery of concrete grout mix, which is used to build the walls of the homes. But Barry Rutenberg, owner of Barry Rutenberg Homes in Gainesville and the Florida Home Builders Association's lead member concerning the cement shortage, reports building delays in many parts of the state, mostly in Central, Southwest and Southeast Florida, but some in the Panhandle.

"For a couple of months now, we have had reports, mainly from small contractors, of construction delays due to the shortage," says Rutenberg, a former president of the FHBA. "In Naples, we have had reports of delays of two weeks; in Southeast Florida delays up to three weeks; and crews have been laid off in Lake County."

Most of the builders affected so far rely heavily on imported concrete, he adds. "Florida imports 40 to 50 percent of the cement it uses. The national average is 20 percent. The Portland Cement Association reports that slightly more than one-half of all states are currently on (cement) allocation."

Rutenberg notes that cement can be imported from Thailand cheaper than from Mexico even though the shipping time from Thailand is 44 days and only four days from Mexico "because the U.S. has placed an 80 percent tariff" on Mexican cement. "We (the FHBA) are asking the (U.S.) Commerce Department to review and (possibly) eliminate this tariff."

Slow to change

On the matter of builders possibly turning to wall systems that use less concrete home-building alternative systems, the Sarasota HBA's Clements says the standard type of Florida home is built with cement blocks and that block-built homes "are a more efficient and effective way to get to wind-load factors."

However, Matt Ross, president of Sarasota-based Eco-$mart Inc., says he has "definitely noticed increased interest in alternative wall systems from mainstream builders in recent months."

Ross attributes this "increased interest partially due to the cement shortage as well as increases in prices of steel, wood and concrete. Even (the price of) concrete blocks has gone up."

"Other forces in the market place ... are driving buyers and builders to take a closer look at 'green' construction options. Developers are mandating that minimum green standards be met throughout their developments," he says, citing Venetian Golf & River Club and Lakewood Ranch as two examples.

"Another influence in the past several years has been mold liability. Concrete-block and wood-frame houses are much more susceptible to mold than the alternative systems.

"Most builders by nature are conservative and slow to change," Ross says, noting that change is slowly beginning to emerge, in part due to "increased demand for green by consumers."

For the past decade, he says, "builders have been telling me that in the future" home construction will be dominated by "off-site manufacturing and onsite assembly."

Currently, only about one-half of 1 percent to 1.5 percent of all homes in America are built with alternative wall systems, he notes, adding that such systems are now used in 10 to 20 percent of all commercial construction.

"I see the residential market getting to where the commercial market is in the next decade, but (today) concrete blocks are still the cheapest way to build a wall," he concludes.

No blocks

Brian Bishop, founder and president of Home Front Inc., Venice-based builder of panelized-system homes, agrees with Ross that there has been increased interest in alternative-style homes since the advent of the cement shortage and spiraling costs. "I've seen a big spike in interest in our homes," Bishop says. "And little wonder. My homes have about 150 pieces, where the average house might have 30,000 parts that are very labor-intensive to put together. We can put up our homes in three days, whereas an ordinary home might reasonable require 75 days.

"You get better energy performance and structural integrity in our homes than you do in the older-type technologies. We don't use any wood and have no termites. It's a no-brainer."

Rob Allegra, president of the Sarasota-Manatee division of U.S. Home Corp., agrees with Ross that builders are slow to accept change. "This is a concrete-driven area," he says. "Concrete blocks have been the standard for a long time. We are slow to change in this industry."

Allegra says U.S. Home's focus is "customer-driven. We have a long-term liability to our customers. It's scary to think about investing in unproven new systems when you consider our liability and commitment. "I'd rather be safe than a pioneer."

Still, he says U.S. Home, which is building 400 homes in Sarasota and Manatee counties this year and is expecting to build 550 in this area next year, has been incorporating alternative wall systems in some of the homes it builds.

"This is not driven by the concrete shortage, but rather the labor shortage and the speed with which these systems can be erected."

He says the E-Wall System is one that U.S. Home is now using. An E-Wall consists of a fiber-rock exterior form, foam insulation inside and concrete pored into the form over horizontally placed steel rods. He says his company now uses some precast concrete walls.

Finally, Allegra says he is confident "the concrete shortage won't last forever. We've seen similar issues with gypsum products, petroleum-based products and metal-based products."

As a result, he says, "Prices will adjust -- upward. That's just the cost of doing business."

Sarasota Home Builders Association President Bob Sisum, who is in charge of builder programs for SMR Communities, the developer of Lakewood Ranch, says none of the builders there has gone over to the alternative building systems.

"We have had," he says, "some delays in concrete deliveries because the builder was not ready to accept delivery." In some cases, he adds, the concrete suppliers have cooperated by making early-morning deliveries. "With our approval, one of the suppliers made a delivery as early as 6 a.m."

Alternative wall systems

Many types of alternative wall, floor and roof systems are available for use in residential and commercial construction -- but most of them use concrete in some form. Some of the more popular in this area include:

Aercon AAC(auto-claved aerated concrete) A solid lightweight concrete block or panel system. Can be used for walls, roofs, floors. Has a wind rating of 130-140 mph, an effective R-20 value, 4- to 6-hour fire rating, no mold growth, excellent pest resistance, 36-44 STC sound rating, and costs $8-$10 per square foot of wall.

All Wall A stay-in-place concrete form with insulation in the center. Form is made of cement fiberboard on both sides, held together by steel studs. Steel and electrical are placed in form before pour. Has a wind rating of 250 mph, an effective R-30 value, two-hour fire rating, no mold growth, excellent pest resistance, 45 STC sound rating and costs $10-$11 per square foot of wall.

E-Wall A stay-in-place concrete form with insulation on the interior surface. Form is made of fiber rock exterior, foam insulation board interior with furring strips attached. Horizontal steel is placed before pour. Has a wind rating of 250 mph, an effective R-25 value, two-hour fire rating, no mold growth, excellent pest resistance, 45 STC sound rating and costs $7-$8 per square foot.

 

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