Masonry Products

Thursday, 18 June 2009 20:46

WAUSAU (May 19, 2008) – As the ceremonial ribbon fell, visitors toured the area’s newest home for stray and surrendered dogs and cats, the Humane Society of Marathon County at 7001 Packer Drive, during its grand-opening celebration in May 2008.

Surrounding the animals are walls of Premier Prestige Series® Block from County Materials. The decorative concrete masonry units feature a glazed face that is stain- and moisture-resistant, withstands impact and is resistant to abrasion and many chemicals and bacteria. In addition to these 8,800 units, County Materials also supplied 9,000 splitface concrete masonry units, 25,000 structural CMUs and 389.5 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete.

“They use a lot of high-pressure washers here,” said Wally Binder of Ghidorzi Construction, who designed the facility. “Regular paint would peel off. And we don’t have to worry about urine or anything. There’s always something very caustic in this environment.”

At nearly 13,000 square feet, the facility is about four times the size of its cramped predecessor on Kent Street, plus it now has the option of significantly expanding to the south and to the east. The structural CMUs are exposed in the “people” portions of the facility, painted to establish a variety of tones and styles. In some common areas, such as the meeting room that will be available to community groups, a single course of splitface CMUs runs near the top of the wall. Flipping those units around allowed for a smooth-face band on the exterior of these single-wythe walls; the band will sport a terra cotta hue to set it off against earth tones.

“It’s very rewarding,” Binder said, noting that the facility had been nearly 10 years in the making. “My wife and I got our dog from the humane society.”

Thursday, 18 June 2009 20:34

(May 18, 2009) In Business magazine announced the winners of its second annual Greater Madison Commercial Design Awards at a ceremony held May 6 in Madison. The competition, which awards honors in 13 categories, recognizes the best in new construction or renovation in commercial design and architecture. Winning projects are featured in the publication’s May 2009 issue.

County Materials, with two locations in Madison, supplied concrete and masonry products for 14 of the award winning projects:
University Square
·    2009 Project of the Year and Best in Mixed Use category
·    Utilized Full Brick, Thin Brick Panels and gray concrete block
·    General Contractor was J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc.; Architect was Potter Lawson, Inc.

Capitol West: Washington Rowhouses, Capitol Court Townhomes
·    Best in Residential Multi-unit category
·    Features colored and gray concrete masonry units
·    General contractor was J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc.; Architect was The Alexander Co. 

Farm and Fleet of Verona
·    Best in Retail category
·    Constructed with decorative and standard concrete masonry units
·    General contractor was Design Structures, LLC; Architect was Potter Lawson, Inc.

Goodman Community Center
·    Best in Education category
·    Constructed with gray concrete block  
·    General contractor was Vogel Bros. Building Co.; Architect was Eppstein Uhen Architects

National Conference of Bar Examiners
·    Best in the Office category
·    Features gray concrete block
·    General contractor was J. H. Findorff & Son, Inc.; Architect was Potter Lawson, Inc.

PIKE Technologies
·    Best in Industrial category
·    Features a blend of three clay brick colors, and concrete masonry units 
·    General contractor was Tri-North Builders; Architect was Eppstein Uhen Architects

Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute
·    Best in Health Care category
·    Built with gray concrete block, and Cultured Stone on interior fireplace
·    General contractor was Ideal Builders; Architect was Potter Lawson, Inc.

All Saints Assisted Living
·    Merit Award in Health Care category
·    Utilized standard concrete block
·    General contractor Horizon Development Group, Inc.; Architect was Architecture 2000, LLC.  

Century 21 Affiliated
·    Merit Award in Office Renovation category 
·    Constructed with Premier Ultra Burnished masonry units and clay brick
·    General contractor was W. Squared, LLC; Architect was Brink, Kolberg & Assoc 

Hampton Inn and Suites
·    Merit Award in Hotel category
·    Features clay brick, decorative concrete masonry units and standard concrete block
·    General contractor was Kraemer Bros, LLC; Architect was Gary Brink & Associates, Inc.

Monona State Bank
·    Merit Award in Office New Development category
·    Features clay brick and standard concrete block
·    General contractor was Bauer & Raether Builders, Inc.; Architect was Strang, Inc. 

Paul J. Olson Elementary School
·    Merit Award for Green-built project
·    Constructed with clay brick and concrete block
·    General contractor was Miron Construction Co.; Architect was Zimmerman Architectural Studios 

Sequoya Commons Phase 1
·    Merit Award in Mixed Use category
·    Constructed with standard concrete block
·    General contractor was Krupp General Contractors; Architect was Bruce Simonson, with SGN+A

UW-Madison Grainger Hall Addition
·    Merit Award in Education
·    Features clay brick, glass block and standard concrete masonry units
·    General contractor was Miron Construction Co.; Architect was Zimmerman Architectural Studios

Thursday, 04 June 2009 02:33

Masonry construction has been the material of choice extensively throughout the architectural world for years. And for good reasons. Dollar for dollar, it provides one of the best returns on your construction investment. Today, your choice between masonry construction and any other alternative is easy.

1. High Durability:
Masonry is solid, strong and won’ t dent from hail, stones thrown by vandals, or from accidental car bumpings in the parking lot.

2. Savings on initial and life-cycle costs:
With concrete masonry, you can build and finish with one unit and one laying operation. The variety of finishes, textures and colors eliminates the need for additional wall coverings. Masonry’s higher durability also means less repairs, plus the color and brilliance of masonry won’t fade, rust or discolor from the weather  – eliminating continual painting and maintenance.

3. Fire resistance:
Masonry won’ t burn, therefore it protects your investment in your building and its contents. And, it can result in lower insurance rates. Concrete masonry fire walls and fire separation walls are commonly specified fire barriers, because these elements are noncombustible, inherently fire resistance, durable, and are economical to construct. They may be designed to maintain structural integrity for over four hours of fire exposure. Concrete masonry is also used to protect the structural integrity of steel from fire exposure.

4. Structural Integrity:
Masonry can be used with all roofing systems, and it has excellent load bearing capacity for supporting roofs and additional floors. Plus, it resists the forces of heavy snows and wind shears. The cavities in concrete block easily accommodate vertical steel reinforcement. Because of masonry’s reliability and performance proven, it’ s been used for centuries in government, institutional, industrial and commercial buildings.

5. Low Insurance Rates:
Masonry construction provides better protection from break-ins, fires and severe weather conditions. This helps to keep insurance rates lower than with other types of construction.

6. Better insulated (R values):
The thermal mass of concrete masonry walls insulate against outside temperatures better than metal walls to help maintain constant temperatures inside while reducing your heating and cooling costs. Because of their mass, concrete masonry buildings often require much lower insulation levels. Masonry cavity walls provide a wide array of options for including insulation to obtain high R values.

7. Design Flexibility:
Concrete masonry units are manufactured and ready for delivery in a short period, unlike custom manufactured precast walls. And, masonry walls can be easily adjusted at any time to suit job-site conditions, even after construction has started, and without production delays.

8. Environmentally Safe:
Pre-finished masonry units such as colored Fullface Split, Ultra® Burnished, and Premier Glazed® units, manufactured with integral water repellant, provide additional benefits of safety through environmental health, pursuant to Section 183 (c) of the Clean Air Act National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards for Architectural coatings

Products like this emit no Volatile Organic Compounds into the air. Example: Concrete block with one coat of Latex paint is limited to a maximum emission VOC’ s of 400 grams or 3.3 pounds per gallon into the air. If this is exceeded by use of epoxies or higher solid content Latex or Enamel paints, an exceedance fee will be charged by the manufacturer and paid to the Federal government, increasing the cost of new construction and maintenance of existing buildings.

9. Reduced Sound Transmission:
Unwanted noise is a major distraction, both in the home as well as the work environment. Because of its mass and rigidity, concrete masonry is especially effective in reducing the transmission of unwanted noise and sound.

10. Better Resale Value:
Masonry buildings look better than metal, maintain their beauty longer and give you more building for your money.

Monday, 02 July 2007 00:00

ASHWAUBENON – A local retail center garnered national acclaim when the Village at Bay Park retail center became a National Winner in the 2006 Excellence in Construction Award released recently by Associated Builders and Contractors.

County Materials, which has locations in Green Bay and Appleton, provided more than 40,000 units of concrete masonry to the five-building, 90,000-square-foot facility. Of the total, 31,400 units of block serve as the facility’s backbone, while 10,270 pieces of splitface masonry comprise the façade.

Masonry, in a custom red, comprises the majority of the bumped-out anchor spaces at either end of the buildings. This gives the buildings the traditional look of a high-texture brick. Single courses of a sandy-hued custom brown serve as accents through the field of red block. The same color trims the top of the facility.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569.

Friday, 01 June 2007 00:00

Soon the sound of hammers and power tools will fall silent, giving way to the shuffle of curious visitors who will be touring the Wausau Area Builders Association Parade of Homes.

The annual showcase, which will be held June 5-10, is a Super Bowl of sorts for area homebuilders, as well as local manufacturers such as County Materials, who will be represented at 25 of this year’s 26 homes in the tour. County Materials, with locations in Wausau, Weston and Marathon, is a leading supplier of concrete masonry construction and landscaping products in the Midwest, and has been actively involved with the Wausau Parade of Homes for many years.

“It’s the smartest marketing thing we’ve done,” said Scott Ohrmundt of John Ohrmundt Construction in Wausau. “We sell five or six houses a year off the Parade.”

The Ohrmundts have two entries this year, both in Kronenwetter; a condominium (No. 13 on the tour) and a house on Seville Road (No. 12) that features County Stone® Old World Tumbled veneer in a decorative pattern on the garage gable, as well as framing around the garage door and living-room window. The light-colored concrete units provide the aesthetics of hand-cut stone at a lower cost, and complement the brick that comprises the façade.

The tour of each abode begins outside, so driveways such as the one on Green Vistas Drive (No. 16) will stand out. Vistas at Greenwood Hills, the builder, used tumbled Vintage Lexington Stone® pavers for the driveway. This flows into steps of Fairbrooke™ Paving Stones and walkways of Lexington. Both styles of concrete pavers are manufactured by County Materials and comprise a patio of more than 1,000 square feet in back. County Materials also supplied Cultured Stone® manufactured stone veneer for the piers and bumpouts across the front of the 5,000-square-foot home.

Cultured Stone brings a natural element to some of the homes, such as No. 20, on Miles Lane in Ringle. Joey Ninneman, of Joey D. Ninneman Construction Inc., covered the front of the 2,800-square-foot home in a darker blend of the stone’s color, which mixes well with the hue of the home’s wooden accents.

“We knew it would be sitting in the woods, so we wanted a rustic elegance,” Ninneman said. “The Cultured Stone matched the colors around the home.”

One of the most innovative uses of concrete on the tour won’t even be readily visible. Tim Koch, of Tim Koch Builders LLC in Weston, used 1,225 square feet of County Materials’ Hollowcore Roof & Floor Systems as a floor for a garage in his Parade Home on Evergreen Road. This provides additional, and affordable space beneath the garage, which measures 35 feet square, to be used as a workshop.

“It has hydroponic, in-floor heating, too,” said Koch, who also incorporated geothermal heating into the structure. “These days, people are really looking for alternative sources of heating and cooling.”

Prospective home owners will find classic style with budget-friendly appeal in Heritage Collection® Designer Concrete Brick, which adorns Reedy Builders’ entry – No. 14 – on Lexington Court in Wausau. The beautiful concrete brick from County Materials enhances the façade of the 2,500-square-foot home that includes Cultured Stone on the top half.

“We get 3,000 to 4,000 people coming through,” Chris Reedy said. “It means a lot for our exposure. This is my community; this is where I live, this is where I’m from.”

For more information on the Parade of Homes, visit www.wausauareabuilders.com.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569