DECEMBER 2024CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM 19Are your slab FF/FL's within tolerance? Are you prefabricating interior framing modules? Back to the question of cure: did you sacrifice the moist cure so you could get back on your schedule that week? Now, think flooring. Are you ready to deal with mechanical prep? Sanding? Access? Reduced trade efficiency during floor prep? Different primers? Pull-tests? How's that schedule looking now? And pull-tests; try nailing down what is and is not acceptable resistance to removal for sheet flooring pull-testing. In a recent adventure with a manufacturer's rep testing product compatibility (he had to bring in self-leveling because of floor surface issues, and now the flooring adhesive manufacturer doesn't like the national brand name self-leveling), but the gist of the story is that he pulled and "found the bond acceptable." What did that mean? We still have no idea, but we got past it.Now, let's talk about planning for tolerance discrepancies. How often have you had to mediate between concrete (and structural steel) and the wall framing? Now, I know that architects habitually build huge safety factors, allowing loads of space for framed walls to make up for concrete or steel tolerance issues (ok, even I couldn't type that with a straight face.) Dimensions are tight, and the over/under is usually never enough to actually compensate for challenges to columns being plumb or slab edges running true. And even when industry standards are on your side, do you have the budget to unbuild the impinging components? Rarely. You have rooms that are a little smaller or narrower or bump a closet or fountain niche. And then the dominoes start to fall. Are those pipes still in the wall? Will the millwork that is already on order still fit? How about prefabricated tubs or shower surrounds?All of these later-in-the-game headaches arise from decisions being made, and the attention, or lack thereof, is paid during the concrete phase. And most folks start taking measurements after the slab is in place, possibly not until a trade brings it to your attention that something is a half-inch off if they tell you at all. The point of this little discussion, aside from being personally cathartic, is to emphasize that slowing down a little before the concrete goes in place, the planning, the thinking five moves ahead approach, can save hundreds of man-hours, thousands and thousands of dollars wasted just on the salaries in meetings identifying problems, assigning blame and then, eventually, getting around to finding work-around. No detail is too small, and no trade coordination effort is too early when it comes to the foundation for the success of the rest of your project. A well-planned, well-executed slab can make the rest of the project...well, we'll stay honest with each other; it makes the project less troublesome than it could have been. There is not enough room in this publication to tackle the issue of roof slab moisture and roofing membranes, so we'll have to be satisfied with knowing it's there
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