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As a contractor, you want efficiency and safety in your construction site. On top of that, you also want to preserve the environment while at it. In your construction project, you will have to choose whether to use precast concrete or in-situ. In the precast concrete construction method, the constructors make the structures offsite by casting concrete in a mold then put in a controlled environment to cure. On the other hand, in in-situ concrete, the constructors pour the mixture of concrete, mold it and cure it on the construction site. Precast concrete comes with its fair share of advantages, and so is in-situ. It all comes down to which concrete structure you will use, which is affected by the following factors:
Use of the concrete structure
The use f the concrete structure immensely affects the method you will choose in the project. Structures like box culverts often used in roads that carry heavy loads will require precast concrete. Precast concrete is reinforced with steel rebar to resist loading stresses and cured in a controlled environment to make them strong. The structure is a stark difference from in-situ, where the concrete is cured on-site and is affected by weather elements. The curing process in in-situ isn’t controlled in a factory, which means that you can’t control moisture, which ensures its continuous hydration.
Schedule
A construction project comes with a contract that stipulates your time to finish it. It would be best if you finished in time. But that is where the method you will use comes in. When you use in-situ, bad weather or equipment breaking down will halt your progress and most likely affect your time to finish the project. However, weather elements or unforeseen breakdowns won’t affect your delivery when using precast concrete. Precast concrete structures are made concurrently with the laying down of the foundation, and once ready, and they are fixed in place.
Limitation of site
Availability of space will also affect the method you go for. If you are using in-situ, you will require a lot of spaces where you will mix the concrete, cast it, and then set it to cure. You might also need to use machinery that will require considerable space. But in precast concrete, you don’t need large space in your site to work. The structure is made by third-party constructors and transported to the construction site when ready. All you will need is a crane to help you offload it and put the concrete structures in place.
Budget
As you have read, these concrete construction methods differ in cost, and the labour-intensive and tedious in-situ is expensive compared to the precast concrete structure. While both are durable, you should consider the client’s budget before settling on any of them.
Conclusion
In every construction project, you aim to complete it on time and satisfy the client, and you are also supposed to stick to a set budget. Using concrete building methods to construct structures like box culverts will give you varying outcomes. You will find in-situ taking long and labour-intensive. If you find yourself in a position that needs you to make a hard decision, refer to this article to help you out.