Whether you’re digging in on DIY concrete work at your own home or planning out a big client project, it’s never a good idea to go in blind. Here are a few reasons using a concrete calculator makes sense:
- Cost Savings: Mix too much concrete for a project and you’re out the money it took to blend that excess. Mix too little and you’ll wind up having to create more to make up the difference, likely winding up with excess again. Knowing exactly what you’ll need for your work makes budgeting a whole lot easier.
- Increased Efficiency: Pausing your work to blend more material at the last minute — or having to contend with excess concrete once your pour is over and done with — requires more time and effort than it’s worth. Taking a few minutes to plan your pours out ahead of time can help your entire project run more smoothly.
- Less Wasted Material: Too much left-behind material following a pour can place even the best crews in a pickle. Remember, that concrete won’t last terribly long inside your mixing drum. Your team will either have to find a quick project it can pour, or discharge the excess material and have it hauled off to be disposed of or recycled.
- Added Peace of Mind: For most concrete and construction projects, success requires many moving parts coming together in just the right way. When you can eliminate potential problem areas and streamline operations, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
The financial element is one of the main reasons to use a concrete calculator for your projects. Even so, it isn’t the only way to save. Here are some other considerations to help you keep costs in check:
- Look into Alternative Technologies: Traditional pours using tried-and-true redi mix trucks and central mixers are the bread and butter of the construction industry, but advancing technologies mean you have options. Concrete 3D printing, for instance, uses computer technology to create precise pours at maximum efficiency. In addition, volumetric mixers, a relatively new addition to the marketplace, serve as concrete plants on wheels. These mixers allow you to blend and pour the exact amount of material you need, right there on the job site.
- Be Smart About Your Blends: There are countless concrete varieties on the market today, with more coming into being all the time. Selecting the right blend at the start (say, one ideal for areas that experience extreme heat — or one that results in a stronger overall finished product) can help your pour go more smoothly and the finished concrete lasts a lot longer. In addition, simply being smart about where you source your concrete’s ingredients can help you find prices that better suit your bottom line.
- Look After Your Fleet: Ongoing maintenance for your ready mix trucks, cement silos and central mixers is the best way to keep your work moving forward as it should. Concrete chipping appointments on three-month intervals, as well as regular tune-ups, inspections and oil changes, help you ward off slowdowns or complete breakdowns which can really eat into your budget.
