Prepare Your Jobsite for Winter

Winter is closing in quickly and it is time to think about jobsite weather protection. In the Pacific Northwest, we have two issues to deal with when it comes to wintertime construction. Most of the time, we are dealing with wet conditions. Other times we couple that with freezing temperatures. In the latter situation, there are strict guidelines concerning the laying of masonry in freezing or near freezing conditions. Those can be found on the NCMA or BIA websites. Or ask your local Mutual rep for a copy of Hot and Cold Weather Masonry Construction Guidelines.

Protecting masonry in wet weather really revolves around keeping the materials and walls dry during and after construction. Wet walls won't normally fail, as in the case with frozen walls, but it will invariably cause aesthetic issues downstream as efflorescence and subsequent cleaning issues can lead to permanent staining and unsatisfactory results. The keys to successful wet weather construction are:

1. Provide cover for walls and materials during construction activity.

2. Provide cover for top of walls overnight to prevent the cavity and masonry from filling with water.

3. With conventional scaffolding, turn footplanks over at night to prevent rainwater from splashing on the walls.

4. When cleaning, don't assume walls are wet enough to eliminate the need to pre-wet the wall prior to application of the cleaner.

5. Keep top of walls covered until plate and cap flashing are installed.

If these techniques are followed, your wintertime masonry project will have the best chance to stay and look its best.

Gary Zagelow

Commercial Sales Manager

Mutual Materials and the Olympics

Vancouver and Whistler are ready to host the world at the 2010 Winter Olympics beginning in February of next year. Mutual Materials is taking the opportunity to shine as well. Our brick is appearing in a number of different size and color combinations throughout the residences in the Athlete’s Village on the Vancouver waterfront. This former Expo ’86 site, in the False Creek area, has accumulated our brick for years because of its “human scale”. After the Games, these houses will be sold and are expected to draw some of the highest prices in the Lower Mainland. Additionally, at the Hillcrest curling venue Olympic visitors will get much more exposure to our brick used in single-family residences.

As far as our hardscape products go, they are featured at the 2010 Net Zero House at Whistler: a vision by RDC Fine Homes to build a house that creates more energy than it uses. Our permeable pavers will be used on the driveway to help return rainwater to the ground without creating runoff. Our glacier slate architectural slabs will be used on the deck surrounding the majority of the house. The Whistler 2010 Net Zero House will be open to the public throughout both the Olympic and Special Olympic games.

Brian Cote
Canadian Sales Manager

Backyard transformation

Some of the Mutual staff spent a couple of days this week transforming a friend’s backyard. Our goal was not only to create a great new outdoor living experience for the homeowner, but also to videotape the whole project, so people can see how easy it is to tackle a transformation on your own. If you’re able to gather some friends and family together for a weekend, there’s nothing that can’t be achieved with a little determination and hard work.

Below is a picture of the yard before the project:















And after:















As always, if your project is too daunting to undertake on your own or if your interest level in backyard improvement only extends to choosing paver colors, please consider using one of our Preferred Contractors. To find our more about Mutual Materials products or our Preferred Contractor program please visit our website at: www.mutualmaterials.com

Be sure to look for our videos coming up on YouTube, our Facebook page and the Mutual Materials website in coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Kendall Anderegg
Director, Residential Sales and Branch Operations

Looking Beyond LEED for Masonry Green

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about how masonry can contribute LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points for architects and building owners who are seeking LEED Certification for their projects. Most of the interest to date has been focused on points available for the recycled content of our materials and/or whether or not our manufacturing plants and their associated raw materials are located regionally within 500 miles of a project site.

To a lesser extent there has also been interest in gaining points through “construction waste management” by the efficient use of our materials and minimal packaging, utilizing lighter colored masonry materials to combat the “heat island effect”, permeable paving for “stormwater management” and in using masonry’s inherent mass to “optimize energy performance”.

But one area that has been overlooked by LEED is “life cycle costs”. Masonry is a strong and durable material. Certainly most of us when thinking of blocks of stone, concrete or bricks would agree. Masonry does not require a lot of maintenance. It’s insect and water resistant. It will not provide a medium for mold growth and it will not burn. When properly designed and constructed, masonry structures have very long service lives. We see this everyday in schools, libraries, courthouses, etc., that were built at the turn of the last century and are now being renovated for another 100 yrs of service life. In short, because masonry lasts so long and requires such little maintenance, it is arguably one of the most cost effective materials on the market today.

Critics will argue that the amount of heat energy needed to manufacture brick is an excessive cost, without putting it in the context of its long life. The actual “embodied energy” of brick (the energy required to mine, manufacture, and transport) is actually less than that of concrete, glass, steel, aluminum, EIFS, wood and fiber cement products (AIA Environmental Resource Guide). Recent research data published by the National Brick Research Center, Clemson University, clearly shows that when cradle-to-grave assessments of all energy and pollution generated to manufacture building materials “over the warranted life” was chosen, brick, with its 100 year life span clearly comes out the winner.

It is unfortunate that the current LEED protocol does not effectively recognize the life cycle cost of building materials. Doesn’t masonry deserve the credit?

Steve Hubbard
Distributor Sales Manager

Things may not be as bad as they look

The information circulating today is that the commercial real estate environment is following the residential market into a significant downturn fraught with foreclosures and bankruptcies. And while the news is factual, the businesses that are affected are mostly in the private domain and the numbers are still relatively small. Inability to refinance is at the root of many of the failed properties. Some properties are realizing an increase in vacancies, making rent payments more difficult, while many others are still profitable, but are unable to find lenders willing to re-up on debt coming due.

Through all this, there is still private investment in the marketplace. We are tracking several market-rate or subsidized urban residential projects, and the big box boys: Walmart, Winco and others are taking advantage of the competitive environment to position them for the next upswing in the economy.

The biggest opportunity, however, is in public sector work. Over 75% of the jobs we are tracking come from the public sector. These jobs are already funded and currently working their way through the design and bid process. In addition, there are a number of large schools waiting for bond measures to pass.

So not all is doom and gloom. While we expect a slow 2010, there is work out there, and with the proper management of resources we hope to work through the current slowdown and come out the other side stronger than ever.

Sincerely,

Gary Zagelow

Commercial Sales Manager

Blending Pallets means Blending Colors

ATTN: Landscape Contractors: We have heard some landscape contractors describe their frustration when it comes to seeing different colors from pallet to pallet. The same frustration has been heard from contractors who lay pavers from the top of the pallet and install layer by layer.

There is a better technique to achieving a uniform blend of color on your jobsite: Blend from two or more pallets at a time. You can understand that our pavers are made several times throughout the year. Each run number could possibly be a slight shade different from the last run. To achieve a consistent color blend, it is important that you mix pavers from multiple pallets together as you lay your design.

Secondly, peeling pavers from the side of the pallet (versus from the top layer by layer) in stacks of 7 to 9 pavers at a time further blends the coloring from each pallet.
















Thirdly, having as many pallets of materials on the jobsite as possible will also help blend colors. Imagine having a 900 square foot project to build, but running completely out of pavers on the jobsite after 800 square are laid. You send a runner to the yard to buy another 100 square of materials. He brings the pavers back only to find out they are made in a different run number. Now it’s much harder to blend in that last 100 square feet of pavers.

Finally, these concepts equally apply to retaining wall installation as well.

Feel free to contact us at Mutual Materials if you have any questions about this topic.


Sincerely,

Fred Davis
(360) 573-5683

Updates from the ICPI midyear meeting

The Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI), held its summer meeting last week in Lake Tahoe. The meeting addressed a variety of topics pertaining to our industry. Below is a brief summary of the meeting’s key points.

ICPI is increasingly focused on trying to support member efforts in selling more concrete pavers for commercial applications. It is reasoned that member companies do a good job in marketing to homeowners, but they lack some of the resources or tools to impact commercial markets. The organization has an overall objective to increase the annual sales of concrete pavers in North America from around two sq ft per capita to four. In comparison, many European countries sell in excess of fifteen sq ft per capita.

Some of the key new initiatives to help members sell more pavers include the following:

· Expanded training programs for installers - The association will be offering two new training programs for paver installers in 2010. The first will be an advanced installer class that builds upon the original Certified Installer Program of which over 18,000 people have attended. This class will deal with greater technical aspects of paver installations and be available to those who have completed the basic installer certification. The other new training program will be a permeable interlocking concrete paver (PICP) installation class. Permeable pavers are identified as a potential growing market given their effective role as a component of stormwater systems. Permeable pavers can lessen the negative impact of development by reducing the flow of stormwater that would be generated in traditional paving systems. Both classes will be two days and will be taught by experienced concrete paver installers.

· New PICP Permeable Design Pro software - Developed through the efforts of the ICPI technical committee, this new software assists pavement designers in designing the right permeable pavement system given soil conditions, expected stormwater, and the use of other stormwater management technologies. Over 3,000 copies have been sold to date.

· The association has also initiated an effort to develop a national standard for the structural design of interlocking concrete pavements by the American Society of Civil Engineers group (ASCE).

· ICPI Foundation funds new curriculum for landscape architecture students -During the meeting the ICPI Foundation Trustees approved funding for the University of Georgia to create a web-based curriculum addressing the use, design, and construction of interlocking concrete pavers. The curriculum will also include permeable interlocking concrete pavers and their application to stormwater management. The web-based program is expected to be available to universities teaching landscape architecture across North America.

The next meeting of ICPI will be in February of 2010 in San Antonio in conjunction with NCMA meetings and the concrete show ICON. For more information about ICPI go to http://www.ICPI.org.

Sincerely,

Joe Bowen
President