The language of construction is something that could baffle any homeowner, particularly the uninitiated ones. If you happen to be currently involved in the construction of your new house, you will surely need to converse with your contractors every now and then. You are not actually expected to know everything but some comments might be necessary. Besides, you could avoid being hoodwinked if you actually know some of the important stuff about home building. One such area of home construction that you could touch upon as an outsider is the design of the concrete slabs. Yes, the word ‘slabs’ could be enough to make you back away – they’re kind of technical, aren’t they? But believe it or not, you could actually engaged in a ‘meaningful’ conversation (that means none of those nonsensical nodding, as if you know what the heck the engineer was talking about) with your contractor over the topic of concrete slab design.
For starters, knowledge of slabs is important if you want to ensure that the structure you are building will get the strong foundation that it needs. Slabs are the foundation of the building, and choosing the right type and design for them is a necessary step in construction. A lot of problems associated with weak foundation in construction can be attributed in errors in slab type and design selection.
If you would ask experts in the construction industry today, most of them would say that the best type of slab is concrete. It is sturdy and is known to last long, as well as readily accessible. For the design, the right choice may vary depending on the plans for the building, your location, and other circumstances that could affect the construction. To be able to converse meaningfully with your contractor regarding the slab design that would be perfect for the building, it will be wise if you gain basic knowledge on the following areas: 1) local building code in your neighborhood, city or state 2) the type of soil that you are building upon and 3) the soil condition of the target area.
Meanwhile, your choices for concrete slab design could include corrugated concrete slabs, ribbed concrete slabs, one-way slab, two-way slab and waffle concrete slab. All of these types of slabs are created to provide strength to the structure and help it withstand changes in the environment. Among such types, arguably the most widely-used are the corrugated and the ribbed ones. Corrugated slabs are made from both steel and concrete, are hard to bend or twist, and give extra support for power. Ribbed slabs, on the other hand, are also specifically designed to provide more power to the building and are known for their strength.
To get more familiar with the language of slabs, you can do a review of your available choices from the Internet. A lot of contractors today are catering to online sites and you can easily browse through important topics from their pages. Some of them may even offer free advice or walkthroughs for the information that you need.