Construction Informer

Test The Test Kits: That’s what we count on Consumer Reports for and recently they did. You might be surprised to know that some kits just don’t test what they are supposed to test for, very well. For radon detection there were three short-term kits that were especially “inaccurate, unreliable or both,” according to CR.

• Accustar Short Term LS Radon Test Kit CLS 100i – under-reported radon levels by about 40 percent
• Kidde Radon detection Kit 442020- under-reported radon levels by about 40 percent
• Accustar Short Term Canister Radon Test kit AC-1001 – was fair in accuracy and turning in similar results in similar conditions

In fairness I will note that Accustar’s Alpha Track Test Kit AT 100 topped the ratings and received a Best Buy nod from CR. That one is a long term test typically taking 90 days or more before being analyzed.

Moen for the Gold: The famous faucet manufacturer is going to award a $10,000 grand prize package to the people who submit the winning kitchen or bath remodeling story, complete with pictures and even video. Eight finalists will also receive $1,000 each. The public votes on the winning design between November 1 and November 15. This contest is underway now and closes October 19.

“This online contest continues to grow and reach out to consumers who want to share their remodeling experiences,” said Ginny Long of Moen, director, online and direct marketing. “We are excited to sponsor this contest and look forward to reviewing their interesting remodeling stories, tips, videos and photos as well as letting the public cast their vote for their favorite finalist.”

So, let the remodeling begin.

Discovering New Options for Getting Around: As the final concrete was poured last week in the finishing of the I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis the call went out to pay attention to our infrastructure. The new bridge has 10 lanes and will also accommodate light rail and has a 100-year life expectancy, (they really don’t build them like they used to). But I wonder if the current modes of transport, especially vehicles as we currently know them will be around another 30 years, let alone 100.

As the president of the Portland Cement Association extolled the virtues of concrete he also suggested the nation would need an additional 400,000 lane-miles of highways by 2032. Not surprisingly he suggested concrete is looking more and more attractive for the job since oil prices are driving up the cost of asphalt.

Is it just me, or does anyone else have the feeling we need to begin changing the way we think? Do we really want to have another 400,000 miles of highway? Going where? At what cost to maintain? Who’s paying? Can’t we dream up something new? It’s like the old saying: If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In this case, if you have concrete, everything looks like a highway?

No, I think it’s time we thought about other ways to get around, or not, and invest our money in those things. What ever happened to the promise of teleporting?

In any large construction project perhaps the most challenging space to try to keep budgets and tempers in tact is the bathrooms. Getting all the trades, along with their specific space needs, to blend together seamlessly within such a confined space is far from easy. I remember mediating more than a few disputes over one trade being delayed by another or one installation having components in the way of another. On remodels this is a fact of life and so far I don’t see anything on the horizon to help smooth it out other than good old fashioned skillful planning. But on new construction innovators are moving toward prefab units. These are reported as working exceptionally well anytime you are building multiple bathrooms with identical specs.

Kullman makes a prefabricated bathroom unit that is dropped in from the top of the building, or slid in from the side. Some of the advantages the company points to include:

• Lower costs in all stages;
• Single point of communication input;
• Lower on-site theft;
• Shorter construction times; and
• Improved quality because units are factory built.

Kullman claims the units offer savings of 50 percent over conventional construction. Of course there are more players in the field. Kondor, in the UK, makes units that have one point of connection and says an added advantage of modular is that a prototype can be built to not only make sure everything fits together like it should but also to serve as a model so all involved can do the necessary approvals before manufacturing begins. Tah Dah!…no more change orders.

Praton International in Germany delivers all the same plus highlights the aspect of locked units that can then be opened after all the dust-producing construction activities are done. Great, no more bathroom cleaning costs and no more plugged up drains because someone cleaned out their tile adhesive bucket in the tub.

Axis Industrial in China is also a prefab bathroom source but it is not a Chinese firm. In partnership with an architectural firm in the UK and an Australian company with experience in prefabrication, the company is headed up by Sean Regan, a USC graduate who owned a furniture factory in Indonesia for a number of years. This company offers not only modular pods but panelized options as well.

Factory building has a lot to recommend it and we are most likely going to see an increased emphasis on factory-built components especially in the face of labor, waste, and materials issues. There are those who would claim this can only lead to inferior construction by clinging to that long-held perception that site-built is better. Is it? At what point does modular loose the almost automatic and derogatory association with mobile homes? Perhaps with these modules that association never existed. What do you think?