Precast Concrete, Tilt-up Construction and Tilt wall: What's the Difference in These Terms?

Several terms - tilt-up panel construction, tiltwall construction, precast concrete building construction - are used to reference new or nontraditional cement building processes. Do they all mean the same thing? If not, what are the differences?

As previously stated in this article, tilt-up and tiltwall are two terms used to describe the same process. For a tilt-up concrete building, the walls are created by assembling forms and pouring large slabs of cement called panels directly at the job site. The cement panels are then tilted up into position around the building's slab to form the walls. Because the concrete tiltwall forms are assembled and poured directly at the job site, no transportation of panels is required. One major benefit of this is that the size of the panels is limited only by the needs of the building and the strength of the concrete panels themselves.

Tilt-up construction panels can sometimes be extremely wide and/or tall. Tilt-up concrete panels have been measured at just over 69 feet across and almost 93 feet from top to bottom. Thus, architects and tilt-up concrete contractors have a great deal of flexibility in planning and creating their buildings.

Because concrete tilt-up walls are poured outdoors, contractors are at the mercy of climatic conditions. When temperatures drop below freezing, curing the concrete panels becomes more difficult and expensive. This is why tilt-up concrete construction is particularly popular in southern parts of the United States, where cold weather occurs less frequently. Certainly, tilt-up concrete buildings are built in northern areas, but the window of time for temperate weather is much smaller and less predictable, which can make construction schedules more difficult to meet.

The precast concrete building process is similar to tilt-up construction, but it addresses the challenges presented by weather. For precast concrete buildings, work crews do not set up forms at the job site to create the panels. Instead, workers pre cast concrete panels at a large manufacturing facility. Because the precast concrete forms are poured indoors, this activity can take place regardless the weather conditions. After curing, the precast concrete panels are trucked to the job site. From this point, precast concrete buildings are assembled in much the same manner as tiltwall buildings.

The fact that precast concrete walls are formed at a manufacturing facility resolves the weather issue, but presents a different limitation not found in tilt-up construction. Because the panels must be transported - sometimes over long distances - places a substantial limitation on how wide or tall each panel can be. It would be impossible to load precast panels that were 60 feet wide or 90 feet long onto trucks and transport them any distance. For a precast construction project, the panels must be smaller and more manageable to allow trucks to haul them over the road to their final destination. This places greater design restrictions on architects and limits the applications where precast construction can be used.

Clearly, tilt-up concrete construction and precast concrete are similar processes. Because tilt-up affords more flexibility, it is the method of choice in locations where the weather allows it. Precast concrete is a suitable choice in circumstances where environmental factors and the construction schedule preclude tilt-up as a viable option.

How to Buy Foreclosed Home

Real estate investing is the best opportunity for any one. This increasing market has provided profitable deals for people who are looking out for a good deal in far less than its market value. Buying foreclosed home can give you such a fulfilling experience. This simple way of home buying has empowered people to get good offers and to make a generous profit. Following are six important steps that will help you to make out a successful deal:

Check out Default Public Records: Checking default public records is a must step that can save your dollars. You are liable to go through these details, once a lender decides to foreclose on a home and provide you the very first notice of the property. There are websites which offer such services but it is better if you do it by yourself.

Cross-Check liens or Claims if Any: Once you are ready to make an offer to the seller, it is better to check its history. Liens and other claims on a property usually increase the price of the property. Properties with negative claims are not advised to chase as they may take you into legal matter.

Make Your Mind About the Property: It is important to decide what you want to make out of the property. Judge the situation by observing the status of the similar homes within the neighborhood. Decide carefully to avert any future consequences.

Choose whom you are going to propose the Deal: This could be an interesting preposition. In case an owner decides to return the property to the bank, you could save your money by proposing directly to the home owner. Usually, homeowners try to avoid foreclosure situations and agree in comparatively lower deals.

Collect the Details: Try to gather information about when the property is being transferred to the bank. This can be a profitable situation as you can directly negotiate with the banker or the lender itself before its opening in the market. Carefully judge the deal and take the advantage thoroughly.

Attend Auction: Lastly, attending the foreclosure auction is a great idea to get the market pricing and other possible deals. You can also judge the property and pursue your dreams.

What does it take to be an Interior Designer?

When trying to decide if Interior Design is right for you, it helps to know what that really means. Interior Design is not simply the profession that "makes rooms and places pretty"; it takes a little bit more than that. You need to know how to do some of the technical aspects of design also. Some of these technical things include:

Designing and reading blueprints: This is particularly for the projects that require a great change in the area's structure like wall removal etc. This is also required in order to make additional rooms, build gazebos, and adding extra rooms. You will need to draw up blueprints of the entire house or read the originals copies, so that you can do your job without causing much disturbance to the rest of the house or environment.

Environmental Analysis: Once you can read blueprints, you will have to analyze the information that is listed so that you can best decide where to go with your ideas. You need the ability to effectively create or remove space in a particular environment so that you can cause little or no disturbance the environment as a whole when making your changes.

Environmental Lighting: Many people forget that lighting is included in any space changing project. You must have knowledge of how lighting works, and have a general idea of what is needed to install light fixtures in areas that do not have them already. Many homes are not equipped with lighting fixtures in some rooms. Of course, if you wish to change the lighting fixtures from general lamps to say, track lighting, you may have a problem if you do not understand how to install it.

Basic Plumbing & pipe structure: If adding or changing spaces in kitchens and bathrooms, plumbing fixtures are often changed or re-organized. You will need to understand their basic functions in order to effectively plan a change that involves them, or is to be done around them.

Before you consider Interior Design as a profession, you should ask yourself these questions.

Am I Creative?

Creativity is a subtle, but important quality to have when considering interior design as a profession. Much of your advancement will depend on your ability to be original in your creative efforts to design any space. Clients will always want to keep a designer that can offer them something that nobody else has.

You will also need to be able to turn whatever items that they already have into works of art. Sometimes clients do not want to change everything, or buy new furnishings and draperies; they simply want to make whatever they do have look and feel different. Creative thinking is the only thing that is going to help here.

1. Colors are your friend, and creativity can help you in setting colors against one another. Many designers love to add color to a room and change things just using this method and perhaps adding accents to existing items.

2. Accents in a room can vary. You can create a great space by adding throw pillows, valances, and vases. This is the perfect career choice for a person that likes to be creative, abut not idle and/or isolated.

Am I Organized?

1. Believe it or not, Interior Designers have to be extremely well organized to be able to handle all of the little details that go into doing a good job. You have to be able to keep track of your entire inventory, while keeping on top of other things also like, materials, tracking orders, employees, and making sure that you stay on or below the budget that your client set out for you.

2. It is no easy feat to try and keep track of all the things that have to be done; especially when you've got people constantly surrounding you. You must monitor what everyone is doing and still manage to keep up on what you should be doing. Do not forget that you also have to appear calm because your clients will likely be asking you a great deal of questions. If you are scattered and panicked, it will be difficult to answer all the questions and look cool at the same time.

3. The ability to know where everything is at, and where every person is at is another aspect of organization. It is very hard to keep jobs if you are constantly wondering where things, and employees are.

4. You will need to be very well organized if your design projects lead you to having to add or remove a room and/or wall. This type of work requires the use of blueprints. You must be able to read them as well as draw them up, you cannot do this without a great sense of organization.

How Good am I at Problem Solving?

1. The ability to problem solve is a necessity for an Interior Designer. As an Interior Designer, you will encounter glitches, and it is a must that you can deal with them. Many times, these glitches will need to be solved on the spot.
2. Your organizational skills will come in handy when you need to solve a problem as well. An organized workplace will help you to have an organized mind. Thoughts have a way of being cluttered when your work space is likewise.
3. Being able think quickly and under pressure is a definite asset to problem solving. Your problem is not going to get easier if it takes you too long to come up with a solution for it. Actually, waiting can just give the universe more time to make the problem get bigger.

Can I Multitask?

1. Most jobs require a good ability to multitask. None of these jobs requires it as much as Interior Design does. The reason for this is because Interior Designers are often doing more than one thing at a time. You can be giving instructions to your contractors, working with your assistant on the fabrics, all while explaining it your client. This can cause a little bit of stress, but if you are good at multitasking, it is not so bad.
2. If you are not particular good at multitasking, you need not worry. Some people have just never been put to the test as far as that's concerned. You may have had a relaxed job setting, or you may have worked on an assembly line for a few years. Many jobs require you to do regular tasks. They can be quite monotonous. But you have to work hard and perspire in this field.

Am I Personable?

1. The ability to meet and associate yourself with people is a good and necessary skill when seeking to be an interior designer. Much of your job will require you to meet and convince people that you are the best person to design their space. A friendly, outgoing, and professional attitude is the easiest way to accomplish that.
2. You must be able to speak to people at their level. Speaking above them is going to confuse your client; while speaking below them is insulting.
3. You must be able to read people in order to properly assess how to deal with them. This is a quality that you cannot afford to be without. Much of your job as a designer is negotiation, and knowing how read other people is the key to success in this area.
4. People have to feel at ease when they talk to you. You should always try to exude warmth and intelligence when speaking to your clients and possible clients.
5. Since you are to be aware of what other people's body language says about them, know that they are looking for the same thing when they are speaking to you. Be aware of all of your facial expressions and hand gestures.

Can I Be Versatile?

1. The ability to be versatile and change with the times is a definite must. As Interior Designers are expected to be ahead of the pack when it comes to the newest trends and fads, your ability to change your current way of thinking will be critical to your success.
2. Most people hire Interior Designers so that they can keep up and stay modern. If the designer is only capable of sticking to the basics and originals, it will be a disastrous career as a designer.
3. Of course, that is not the only reason why versatility is a necessity. Clients sometimes change their minds about what they want. It's annoying, but it happens. You have to be able to change with them. Your ability to give the client what they are looking for can be the difference between your being on top of the field, and your finding yourself unemployed.

How Is My Business Sense?

As an Interior Designer, you will need to have a head for business. You will need to have the ability to estimate and put a value to your work. To do that correctly, you will have to calculate the cost of all materials, extra employee labor, furniture costs, paints etc. The ability to negotiate is going to be a priceless skill that you must have or be willing to learn.

1. Negotiation is the key to almost all of your dealings as an interior designer. You will be negotiating with your clients, either to get them, or on budget requirements. You will be negotiating with contractors at times, furniture dealers, and everyone else that can play a role in you getting the job done to your client's specifications

2. Marketing is another aspect of business that will be very important for you to be familiar with. Interior Designers spend a great deal of time in marketing their services. The easiest aspect of the marketing that is needed in Interior Design is that the demand will always be there. Buildings, shops, homes etc will always be in the world, as well as the need to design the interiors of them. All you will need is the ability to produce the supply.

3. Advertising can be the most effective tool in developing your interior design business. It will be difficult to get the public to know that you are there without it. If your budget is small there are many thing that you can do for a cheap price or even free. You can pass out flyers, build a internet homepage from a free host supplier (many of these have their own wizards to help guide you if you are not html savvy), pass out business cards or leave them in stores that will allow it. There are many things that you can do, just be creative.

4. Bookkeeping is a necessity for the self employed. You have to know how to manage your business' financial statements. You also have to handle payroll, accounts payable (money you owe) and accounts receivable (money people owe/give you)

How to Start Your Own Interior Designing Business

Do you know if Interior Design is Right for You

Have you ever seen a beautiful house or office building and wondered who did the work? Have you ever wished that you could do some of the work that you've seen elsewhere? Many people wonder what it would be like to be an Interior Designer, but they rarely ever go beyond thinking about it.

If you really want to know if Interior Design is right for, this book will be your comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of the business. In this book, you will learn what it takes to be an Interior Designer, what it costs to get certified, you will get all the techniques on how to get started, and much, much more.

An Interior Designer is a consultant. You are there to beautify any particular environment as well as provide your clients with the service of explaining why you are recommending, and doing the things that your project will require. You must educate your client about interior design as well as design.

You have obviously given the idea of being an Interior Designer serious thought or you wouldn't be reading this. Of course, like most people, you are probably wondering whether or

not it is the right choice for you. I can guarantee you, that after you've read this, you will know for sure if Interior Design is the right career choice for your future.

Interior Design can be a very lucrative job choice for the right person. You might be wondering exactly what an Interior Designer does. It is really simple. An Interior Designer creates, organizes, and designs commercial and/or residential properties. Basically, an interior designer works with the interior of a particular space, such as rooms, offices, boardrooms, and various other internal spaces. Here is a list of some of the places that interior designers can work in.

Hotels

Banks

Restaurants

Stadiums

Arenas

This doesn't seem very broad, but think of all of the other types of homes and businesses that I didn't mention. The possibilities are truly endless in this field. Interior Designers do more than just decorate a space. In some cases they can add extra rooms, design patios and gazebos, add or remove wall space, and they spend a great deal of time networking with people.

Interior Designers are responsible for creating a comfortable and relaxed space for their clients to live and/or work in. It is your duty to offer clients the best work that their needs, and budget can give. People put a great deal of trust in you, and you must reward that with the best final result possible.

Tips to Design Earthquake Resistant Structures

Designing Earthquake Resistant Structures is indispensable. Every year, earthquakes take the lives of thousands of people, and destroy property worth billions. It is imperative that structures are designed to resist earthquake forces, in order to reduce the loss of life. Structural design plays an important role. Here, we will discuss different tips and techniques used in designing Earthquake Resistant structures.

What is an Earthquake?

An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the breaking and shifting of rock beneath the Earth's surface. For hundreds of millions of years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the Earth as the huge plates that form the Earth's surface move slowly over, under, and past each other. Sometimes the movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release the accumulating energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free causing the ground to shake. Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries where the plates meet; however, some earthquakes occur in the middle of plates.

Ground shaking from earthquakes can collapse buildings and bridges; disrupt gas, electric, and phone services; and sometimes trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods, fires, and huge, destructive ocean waves (tsunamis). Buildings with foundations resting on unconsolidated landfill and other unstable soil, and trailers and homes not tied to their foundations are at risk because they can be shaken off their mountings during an earthquake. When an earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.

It is for this reason that it is often said,

"Earthquake don't kill people, buildings do."

The dynamic response of building to earthquake ground motion is the most important cause of earthquake-induced damage to buildings. The damage that a building suffers primarily depends not upon its displacement, but upon acceleration. Whereas displacement is the actual distance the ground and building may move during an earthquake, acceleration is a measure of how quickly they change speed as they move. The conventional approach to earthquake resistant design of buildings depends upon providing the building with strength, stiffness and inelastic deformation capacity which are great to withstand a given level of earthquake-generated force. This is generally accomplished through the selection of an appropriate structural configuration and the carefully detailing of structural members, such as beams and columns, and the connections between them.

In contrast, we can say that the basic approach underlying more advanced techniques for earthquake resistance is not to strength the building, but to reduce the earthquake-generated forces acting upon it. By de-coupling the structure from seismic ground motion it is possible to reduce the earthquake-induced forces in it. This can be done in two ways:

Increase natural period of structure by "BASE ISOLATION".

Increase damping of the system by "ENERGY DISSIPATING DEVICES".