When building a house, two main types of foundations are used: slab-on-grade or below-grade foundations with a basement slab. Climate, including high water tables, frost lines, harsh winters, and ...

We left city life behind to live off-grid on a mountain in Spain, spending two years renovating an old stone house and ...

Rackel San Nicolas is affiliated with the University of Melbourne, International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures, the Australian French Association ...

Concrete blocks are prefabricated materials primarily used for constructing walls. Similar to bricks, these blocks are stacked together and bonded with mortar, typically composed of cement, sand, and ...

The world gets a little greyer every year. According to a paper published in 2014 concrete—an aggregate material made by mixing cement, sand and gravel—is the second-most consumed substance in the ...

Q: My backyard consists mainly of a concrete slab patio and a retaining wall made from concrete blocks. It's so gray that even the trailing rosemary and bougainvilleas I've planted look washed out. I ...

When you're looking for cinder block garden ideas, the sky's just about the limit for this versatile building material. Use them to create stylish walls, furniture, outdoor bars, planters, raised ...

Concrete blocks. Ever since manufacturers developed techniques to make them cheaper than traditional clay-fired bricks, concrete blocks have been one of our most ubiquitous construction materials.