Dominican *Concrete*

[PeterInBrat]

They are putting in sidewalks and gutters in front of my sister in law's house. They had to demo her porch because it crossed the setback right in the way of the sidewalk. I've demoed *real* block walls and they go down much harder than this:

[video=youtube_share;c9a_Zbs-D3k]https://youtu.be/c9a_Zbs-D3k[/video]

You drop most blocks here onto concrete from a few feet and they shatter. I cracked one just flipping it over.

 

[jd426]

If they are ever exposed to salt , it could have something to do with it ..
If you ever want to see cinder blocks just completely disintegrate , put some salt water on them.
I made that mistake , once just once, with some Cinderblock steps that were Icy in the winter . Did not take much salt at all. Crumbled to pieces. Makes one kind of Wonder about the integrity of a Block Foundation if ever exposed to Salt Water flooding .

 

[cobraboy]

They are putting in sidewalks and gutters in front of my sister in law's house. They had to demo her porch because it crossed the setback right in the way of the sidewalk. I've demoed *real* block walls and they go down much harder than this:

[video=youtube_share;c9a_Zbs-D3k]https://youtu.be/c9a_Zbs-D3k[/video]

You drop most blocks here onto concrete from a few feet and they shatter. I cracked one just flipping it over.

Was there rebar in that wall? I didn't see any...

Most newer construction I've seen, well in our neighborhood anyway, has reinforced comcrete columns on corners and in the interior. The concrete blocks are non-load-bearing walls with wide-spaced rebar just to keep them from falling from any horizontal forces. The columns support the second floor concrete floors, and then are "textures into the concrete block walls.

 

[Expat13]

Its very sad but actually quite silly to analyze this. We know whats really happening here. Combination of no brains, no inspections, no laws, no concern whether if crumbles to the ground and kills families.

 

[AlterEgo]

Good point about no rebar, and all blocks are not created equal. They vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and the better ones are often stamped with the manufacturers name on them. Like everything else, you get what you pay for.

It's one reason that we use the maestro we do. We do all the buying of building supplies, and have it delivered. He provides the crew. That way we control the quality.

 

[Ecoman1949]

Its very sad but actually quite silly to analyze this. We know whats really happening here. Combination of no brains, no inspections, no laws, no concern whether if crumbles to the ground and kills families.

I was seriously considering purchasing a townhome end unit in a Luperon. I've bought and restored a few houses over the years and always look for the obvious and not so obvious signs of poor construction. Just by eyeballing the home, I could see the main exterior side wall, the biggest wall in the unit, was way off plumb. Floors were not level, walls were showing signs of severe cracking in the pinyata. Holes were dug in the ground around the property where it was evident they were used to mix cement. Long story short. I didn't buy it and within two years the end unit had major structural problems and was condemed. the townhomes were built on the top of a hill on unconsolidated soil. The settling and resulting structural problems occurred over time with each rainy season. The footings weren't deep enough to stabilize the structure and engineering specs were never drawn up or submitted to the proper authorities. I could have been out serious money if I had purchased the place. Buyer Beware!

 

[dv8]

They are putting in sidewalks and gutters in front of my sister in law's house. They had to demo her porch because it crossed the setback right in the way of the sidewalk. I've demoed *real* block walls and they go down much harder than this

good lord. this is why i keep on seeing articles about people being crushed by falling walls. zero rebar, zero foundations, zero structural integrity.

 

[cbmitch9]

Interesting device for laying brick. I wonder if it could be made to work with concrete block here. Still doesn't solve some issues but better than having more than an inch of mortar between runs:

I saw a new construction yesterday and some of the blocks had at least 2-3 inches of mortar between them and some had no mortar between them and that was the second floor. I tried to look for rebars but I was unable to see any.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

good lord. this is why i keep on seeing articles about people being crushed by falling walls. zero rebar, zero foundations, zero structural integrity.

When there are no standards outlining what is considered the minimum requirement for safety, anything goes. 

 

[Expat13]

When there are no standards outlining what is considered the minimum requirement for safety, anything goes. 

Sadly there are standards, but how often do you see people obeying such standards.

 

[ctrob]

good lord. this is why i keep on seeing articles about people being crushed by falling walls. zero rebar, zero foundations, zero structural integrity.

Yes, terrible. And that's exactly how that young girl had her legs crushed in Charimicos a couple years back. I think at the Feb 27 parade? Building next to Bon's had a short parapet wall at the roof and they had put in a small overhang that hung over the sidewalk. Some kids were sitting on that overhang and the whole thing came down on top of her and others. I've been around construction forever and it wouldn't have happened if even a minimal amount of bar had been in it. Really sad because it's so easy to prevent. Stop stealing money from the govt coffers and enforce some basic building codes.

 

[Ecoman1949]

Yes, terrible. And that's exactly how that young girl had her legs crushed in Charimicos a couple years back. I think at the Feb 27 parade? Building next to Bon's had a short parapet wall at the roof and they had put in a small overhang that hung over the sidewalk. Some kids were sitting on that overhang and the whole thing came down on top of her and others. I've been around construction forever and it wouldn't have happened if even a minimal amount of bar had been in it. Really sad because it's so easy to prevent. Stop stealing money from the govt coffers and enforce some basic building codes.

I've seen electronic appliance wire used for main electrical panels and other horrors.The DR is supposed to be adhering to NA wiring codes. I've been in houses in the DR under construction by German and Swiss contractors. Everything is done to code, windows, plumbing, electrical, etc. Are there DR trade schools where they teach contractor trades or is it only father to son hands on training?

 

[rubio_higuey]

I'm no concrete guru, but I think the cost of using commercially prepared concrete is offset by superior quality.

You usually see them mixing concrete in a hole or just on the ground .... very rarely you see a use of even a basic tool like this

 

[rubio_higuey]

I've seen electronic appliance wire used for main electrical panels and other horrors.The DR is supposed to be adhering to NA wiring codes. I've been in houses in the DR under construction by German and Swiss contractors. Everything is done to code, windows, plumbing, electrical, etc. Are there DR trade schools where they teach contractor trades or is it only father to son hands on training?

There is Infotep which provides short-term (3-6 months) education in many trades and crafts, and there are technical 4-year secondary schools (Politecnico), my friend went to one in SPM year ago, that's where he learned about electricity, refrigeration and plumbing.

 

[PeterInBrat]

I know, let's make the second floor bigger than the ground floor! What could possibly go wrong? Not sure, but I think my wife said they want to put another floor above the second. A dozen or so pieces of rebar holding up a second story wall with a few *buttresses* and chalky cement.

 

[cobraboy]

I've seen electronic appliance wire used for main electrical panels and other horrors.The DR is supposed to be adhering to NA wiring codes. I've been in houses in the DR under construction by German and Swiss contractors. Everything is done to code, windows, plumbing, electrical, etc. Are there DR trade schools where they teach contractor trades or is it only father to son hands on training?

It all comes down to money. Higher code standards increase costs quickly, a price few "normal" Dominicans can (or will) afford.

But it could be worse. The earthquake devastation in Haiti was caused more by no rebar in construction than the trembler. There were multi-level hotels that imploded just because not one inch of rebar was used. I can't even imagine...

We had the chance to spend a couple of days with Norbert---remember mountainfrog?---who was a German engineer who built his entire mountaintop residence in Las Terranas. I have not seen a better engineered structure built anywhere. It was incredible, top quality design, materials and construction in every system. It did, however, cost a small fortune and priced his property way above comps in the area.

 

[jd426]

I know, let's make the second floor bigger than the ground floor! What could possibly go wrong? Not sure, but I think my wife said they want to put another floor above the second. A dozen or so pieces of rebar holding up a second story wall with a few *buttresses* and chalky cement.

Holy Kra* is that for Real, or an Optical Illusion ?

 

[cobraboy]

I know, let's make the second floor bigger than the ground floor! What could possibly go wrong? Not sure, but I think my wife said they want to put another floor above the second. A dozen or so pieces of rebar holding up a second story wall with a few *buttresses* and chalky cement.

It depends on the construction of the first floor.

 

[PeterInBrat]

Yup. I was watching them build the first floor last year with different crew. I'm thinking the buttresses are suppose to tie into the vertical columns, but it would still be very poor engineering. We were in an apt below that last year until we got sick of the landlord. Really glad we moved now!

 

[PeterInBrat]

Ted Talk on construction in Haiti. Very much applies here for what should be done in construction.

[video=youtube_share;b98Iw_AeGQg]https://youtu.be/b98Iw_AeGQg[/video]