For Pros By Pros: Working with Concrete

Concrete is magical mud. This mixture of sand, stone, Portland cement and water is an essential ingredient in just about any building project. Now you can get the rock-solid results you're after with this comprehensive guide to building 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 everthing from mix characteristics and formwork options to waterproofing details and repair procedures.

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 read-mix concrete
• Test and evaluate concrete quality before the pour
• Build walkways, patios, steps, and slabs from start to finish