While the initial price may be more, precast concrete costs less because of the time it saves on the job site.
Pouring concrete in place is cheaper in theory. Looking at just the price of materials and labor, a poured-in-place product wins every time. But a deeper look at what it actually costs you to pour concrete in place reveals it’s no bargain.
With poured concrete, it takes about a day to install forms, prepare reinforcement materials, pour and finish. A similar precast concrete product would take about a day to install and backfill.
Breaking it Down
Now, start thinking about what comes next.
With a poured-in-place product it will take several days to dry and cure. The forms need to be removed and only then can you backfill, unless you need to waterproof the concrete, which will take another day.
With the precast concrete product, your crew is back to work in a day or less.
The area where you poured concrete is tied up for the better part of a work week, keeping other workers from doing their jobs and extending the time it will take to complete the whole job.
Contractors work on deadlines and saving a day or two means the chances of missing a deadline is lessened. Everyday a job is late costs money and can mean the difference between a profitable job and losing money.
So, before making a decision between precast and poured-in-place concrete make sure to assess the total cost and not just the initial price.
Del Zotto Products carries a full line of precast concrete forms and finished precast concrete products. We also can custom make forms to your specifications. For information about our products and services, contact us today.