Concrete Block Construction

By Kristyne McDaniel

Concrete block construction is literally the foundation of buildings around the globe. This very popular building material is a staple for erecting just about any structure. When erected properly, concrete block construction provides excellent protection against natural disasters like hurricanes. The material is also impervious to problems found in wood building products as well.

Termites and wood rot is never a problem when it comes to concrete block construction and the strong material will stand up to just about any natural threat. Nevertheless, it is crucial that the concrete is constructed properly and used properly in order to assure that the building will not cave in or fall.

The nature of the material in concrete block construction is very rigid. This material will crack under pressure. Compressive stress will make the structure buckle under the pressure if the wall is not thick enough. It is also important to use steel reinforcement, or rebar, to support the structure as well.

My father learned his lesson about concrete block construction the hard way. He installed a wall in our back yard to define the space between two tiers in the yard. After hours of digging and planning, he began the concrete block construction task with the help of my brother. I was more than happy to mix mortar for the pair.

We were pleased that the wall was erected in seemingly no time at all. The quick assembly should have been the first clue that there were going to be problems. Things went so smoothly. We mixed, layered and placed one block neatly upon the last with relatively little effort.

Concrete block construction is not that easy. As a rule of thumb, remember that nothing is simple when it comes to building a wall of any sort, especially one out of this material. We had completed the project in one tiny day and we went to bed ready for a good night’s sleep, then it began to rain.

The thunderstorm did not keep us up but a loud clap of thunderous noise jolted us out of our slumber. We initially thought that the sound was thunder from the storm but something wasn’t quite right. The next fear was that something struck the structure of the house. This was not the case, either.

We went downstairs to find my father looking with great dismay at the back yard. The wall had collapsed under the pressure of the rain and falling soil behind it. We went back to work on the project with a new addition to the task; steel rebar.