18 Dec, 2013
Building maintenance costs are challenging to quantify, especially when separating the costs of individual components.
Functioning as the exterior structure and skin, tilt-up can be provided with truly “maintenance-free” finishes, such as exposed aggregate or cast-in-brick. Compared to traditional brick veneer construction, the cast-in-brick eliminates the future risk—and costly repair,
Naturally, tilt-up wall panels are also less prone to damage than lightweight systems providing durability.
According to Glen Stephens*, owner and president of SAA Architecture LLC (Laurel, Maryland), tilt-up provides a number of tangible benefits related to long-term maintenance and the associated costs.
• Concrete actually strengthens with age, as opposed to most materials which eventually deteriorate and crack, creating ugly maintenance nightmares.
• Due to the superior vapour barrier, concrete panels are much less susceptible to damage from moisture penetration and spalling than most other wall systems.
• The majority of tilt-up panels are coated with paints and other finishes that can easily be repaired or re-coated over time to completely change or renew the appearance of the building.
• Additional windows and doors can be created or eliminated and the panels repainted without the unsightly appearance of a patch.
Contact us now at Rapid Tilt Construction, we can assist you in your decision to select a tilt-up building product to provide you with the best of both worlds by allowing you to build in long-term cost efficiencies, whilst keeping initial capital costs to a minimum.
*Reference: www.tilt-up.org
