Most auto body shops have small covered anchor pots with a removable chain feature installed into the floor. It is easy to incorporate anchor pots into a concrete floor while constructing a new shop. Tom included several anchor pots into the new addition of his machine and welding shop.

The Millers continue to plug away at building a new energy efficient home themselves…

An easy and attractive way to attach metal stair rail to a concrete or stone wall.

When traveling in the northern New Mexico area, one stop along the way that you won’t want to miss is the Visitors Center for Earthship homes. These structures are very interesting.
Earthships are buildings that are designed to be built with recycled materials. These structures take green living to it’s extreme. Each structure is basically old tires packed with earth and stacked on top of one another to form walls.

These series of articles will include pictures and email from Chip and Peg. They are embarking on building a new home for their family in northern Wyoming. They will do much of the work themselves with an eye on incorporating sustainable construction. They are building a home, shop and green house.

Tom received this letter from Daron and MaryAnn of Idaho. Sound familiar to anyone?
Tom,
Daron and I have a new segment for “Tips by Tom”. We found water in our
basement a few days ago. We found out it was coming in around were the
sewer line exits the house. Luckily there is a [...]

Brother-in-law, Dave, was in town over the weekend and filmed Tom welding up a few metal posts for Summit Structures out of Laramie WY. Summit will use these posts to help support structural beams for a house they are building.
The metal posts are designed to rest on the top of a concrete footer. The bottom plate fastens into [...]

This video shows how Tom built his dream shop/house.  The shell of the building was ordered through Fast Trac Buildings, Inc. in Colorado.  Much of the interior of the shop and home was purchased as was needed through local building supply houses and stores like Builders Square, Lowes, and Home Depot.
The two and a half [...]

Tom had the chance to stop and visit with Steve Yuhl of Triton Marine Construction out of Aiea Hawaii on a recent trip to Oahu. Steve and his company, Triton Marine Construction, have modified the TTI Screedright Pro to help them repair bridge decks on interstates.
When concrete breaks out of the decks on interstates the [...]

A great new website to check out for all you decorative concrete guru’s is www.concreteideas.com The creators of the site have found a way to cut through the clutter… so to speak. High speed internet concrete fans are treated to a smooth rotation of project photo’s right off the get go. The home page is [...]

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The advent of concrete trucks has revolutionized the use of concrete.  Concrete is an old building material used since ancient times. 

Tom and crew pour a slab of concrete for his new building addition using the TTI Screedright Pro.  The TTI Screedright Pro utilizes a wooden 2X4 as a screed bar.  A wooden 2X4 allows for better screeding with no expensive screed bars to purchase.  A wooden board can be cut to any length for a [...]

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A plate compactor compacts sub base for concrete and gets your ground to grade.  Tom added granite fines to the existing base for a level surface prior to pouring his concrete floor.  Leveling your floor surface allows for a more accurate estimate when purchasing concrete.  After grading the sub base, it helps to water down [...]

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Water is important to concrete.  This article will explain why it is necessary to spray down your concrete after it has been laid.
Concrete hardens through the hydration process.  It takes a lot longer than one thinks for concrete to full harden and dry.  A chemical reaction is at the root of a good concrete surface.  [...]

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Tony from Midwest Recreational Clearinghouse in Minnesota emailed these photos of a truss screed he acquired.   Tony runs the website crankyape.com that specializes in auctioning off repossessed items.  He knew they were some sort of concrete screed, but was unsure as to how it worked.
This truss screed unit is obviously in used condition.  The long [...]

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It’s easy to mix your own concrete when you have a small job to pour.  You will need to have a small concrete mixer.  I you don’t own one, check your local small equipment rental outlet.

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Having the ability to estimate the amount of concrete you will need to order is vital to the success of your concrete job.
A four inch slab is probably the most common concrete project example.  Usual jobs include sidewalks, driveways, patios, etc.
Four inches works into a cubic foot equation easily.  Since there is twenty seven cubic [...]

Running the concrete chute for a concrete pour is an important job.  Most concrete arrives at the job site in a rear concrete truck.  The person in charge of the concrete chute is directing the entire job.  It is his job to instruct the driver, keep an eye on the muckers and control the concrete [...]

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Today we are ready to begin pouring concrete for our building addition.  After a day or so of digging up the ditch for the footings, Tom and crew do last minute prep work.
Tom checks the ditches where the footings will be poured.  The dirt should be compact and clear of vegetation.  If  grass or weeds are [...]

The first step in any building process is to shoot the grade of the ground.  The concrete footers will be the first concrete that Tom will pour.  He will then work on the concrete slab floor for the new addition to his shop.  This first step is vital to insure that the footings are set [...]