The Basics of Tilt-Up Construction with Headwaters Construction
When you combine the strength of reinforced concrete with the efficiency and precision of design-build methods, you get cutting-edge tilt-up construction. This method is fast and economical. That may be why upwards of 650 million square feet of buildings are constructed using the tilt-up method. In this article, you’ll learn the basics that will help you to understand tilt-up construction.
How the Method Works
Tilt-up construction is characterized by a series of concrete panels that are tilted into position, forming the exterior walls of a building. The panels are made onsite using wooden or other forms, concrete, and rebar.
Headwaters Construction Inc., the best tilt construction company in Sacramento, explains that the final designs of the building help the contractor to shape the wooden forms and cut rebar into the appropriate sizes and shapes before concrete is poured into the forms.
In a few days, the cured concrete forms are hoisted into place on foundation footings. The panels now form the exterior walls of the building. The tilt-up contractor temporarily braces each of these panels. The bracing is removed once the roof holds the entire structure together.
The two sides of the panels (the side facing inside the building and the side facing outside) can be modified or finished in any way you’d like.
For example, veneer can be placed on the exterior face of the tilt-up panels to give the building a unique character.
A History of Tilt-Up Construction
Contrary to what some people may think, tilt-up construction has been around for a long time. For example, commercial construction companies point out that the old-style barns were raised using the tilt-up method.
The tilt-up construction professionals point out that the big break for this method came at the end of World War 2 when there was such a huge labor shortage. So, construction methods, such as tilt-up, became very popular. From that time, tilt-up construction has grown immensely across the U.S.
How Tilt-Up Construction Compares to Other Options
Wood frame construction is labor-intensive, and this attribute makes tilt-up construction a viable alternative due to its limited labor requirement.
Steel beam construction techniques can be quite pricey. This makes them better suited to high rise projects where this cost can be justified. Tilt-up construction is a better alternative if the project isn’t a high rise construction project.
Constructing using prefabricated steel frames can also be economical. However, the design limitations of this technique make tilt-up construction the better option in some situations, according to leading general contracting companies in Sacramento.
Tilt-up construction may also be a viable method in situations where masonry construction is an option.
All in all, there is no single sector for which tilt-up construction is best suited. The method can be used for a diverse range of projects from large scale distribution centers to even churches!
Key Assumptions Regarding Tilt-Up Construction
You may be interested in knowing how the cost of a square foot of a tilt-up building compares to the other options. However, our friends at Tureks Plumbing, a home-remodeling company in Appleton, say that these comparisons wouldn’t be very helpful since every construction project has its own peculiarities that often affect the cost of that project. Instead, the commercial builders recommend that you keep the following assumptions in mind when considering tilt-up construction for your project:
First, you are likely to enjoy higher levels of cost-effectiveness the larger your project is. This is because economies of scale kick in for tilt-up construction as a building gets larger.
Secondly, tilt-up construction expedites projects because once the exterior walls are up, other trades, such as plumbing and electrical work.
Thirdly, tilt-up contractors also have a higher degree of control over a project. It is easy for them to access locally available materials and supplies. Compare this to other techniques that involve lengthy lead times and higher costs.
Headwaters Tilt-Up Construction
In short, tilt-up construction brings speed, cost savings, energy efficiency, and other benefits to construction projects. If you would like to know whether tilt-up construction can be an option for your upcoming project, contact Headwaters Construction Inc. and we will work with you to select the most appropriate method to use when constructing your new commercial building.