By Rick Arnold
Taunton Press, 2003
Soft cover, 8.5″ x 11″, 185 pages

Concrete is a magical mud. This mixture of sand, stone, Portland cement and water is an essential ingredient in just about any buidling project. Now you can get the rock-solid results you’re after with this comprehensive guide to buidling with concrete.

Whether you are pouring a concrete walkway or staking out the excavation for a basement foundation, doing the job right demands a thorough knowledge of concrete construction techniques. Veteran builder Rick Arnold conveys this essential knowledge by explaining everything from mix characteristics and formwork options to waterproofing details and repair procdeures. This book will enable you to:

• Prepare a site for excavation
• Evaluate soil conditions
• Lay out footings and foundation walls
• Use site-made and manufactured forms
• Install proper reinforcement in footings, walls, and flat work
• Estimate and order ready-mix concrete
• Test and evaluate concrete quality before the pour
• Build walkways, patios steps, and slabs from start to finish