In an attempt to cut costs, many homeowners tend to take matters into their own hands. The internet-driven world has ingrained a false opinion in everyone’s mind that they can handle any technical task alone. While this may be true for minor tasks like cooking, fixing your TV’s remote control, or cleaning your carpet, the same can not be said or done for highly complex tasks.
For instance, fixing your refrigerator or constructing a backyard shed by yourself is not a good idea. The same applies to shotcrete tasks. Businesses are wise enough not to experiment with their investments and handle shotcrete and concreting tasks on their own. However, homeowners in Calgary often find the idea of DIY projects quite enticing.
Instead of requesting professional shotcrete services from a reputed residential concrete contractor, they are lured toward the idea of doing it by themselves. These homeowners often argue that shotcrete is a simpler variation of concrete which requires minimal technical knowledge.
“As long as you can operate a nozzle, shotcrete should not be difficult.” They say.
However, this is the biggest misconception about shotcrete, and perhaps the most costly mistake people make. In an attempt to save themselves from the cost of hiring a residential shotcrete contractor, they waste their money, time, and energy on a subpar quality structure that fails to maintain its structural integrity even for a few months.
Read Also: Misconceptions About Architectural And Structural Shotcrete
In this blog post, we will provide comprehensive reasons and explanations about why shotcrete services are a better and more viable option than DIY shotcrete.
The Need For Technical Knowledge
As emphasized in the preceding section, one of the biggest misconceptions homeowners have about shotcrete services is that they are a simpler variation of traditional pouring that does not require technical knowledge. While it is true that shotcrete placement is comparatively easier than concrete pouring, it does not at all mean that the service does not require technical knowledge.
Like any other construction task, shotcrete shoring tasks require profound knowledge about numerous aspects, such as:
- The correct water-aggregate ratio and its alterations
- Addition of retardant and accelerants
- Effects of temperature, pressure, and other elements
- The suitability of wet-mix and dry-mix methods in different situations
- The right shooting angle and distance that varies from structure to structure
- Curing under different weather conditions, etc
There are a lot of physics and chemistry concepts you must have a firm grasp on before undertaking shotcreting tasks. This knowledge can only be obtained through a formal course with a reputed authority like the ACI.
Beyond doubt, an average homeowner can not learn these things from a DIY video.
SprayForce is proud to inform its clients that all our nozzlemen are ACI-certified and can diligently provide high-end shotcrete services for projects of all sizes.
The Need For Practical Experience
Besides certifications, the ideal nozzleman must also possess adequate practical onsite experience in shotcreting. After all, theoretical knowledge is nothing if a person can not apply the concepts in real-world situations. Clearly, as a homeowner, you certainly do not possess the prerequisite experience level to operate a nozzle or quickly take the necessary measures if the shotcrete mixture starts to show signs of drying.
Similarly, you wouldn’t be able to understand whether your mixture has a lot of air bubbles and its adverse implications. Shotcrete tasks bear the most significant impacts of drastic temperature changes in winter. The latter usually results in the surface cracking and early deterioration.
Clearly, an average individual does not possess the experience to adequately address these issues. Thus, it is not as simple as being able to handle a nozzle and randomly shoot a mixture, now is it?
Material Waste Reduction
From the discussion thus far, it is clear that all these points do not stand independently. A direct result of a lack of knowledge and experience is material and resource waste. While you can afford for a cooking recipe to go wrong, the impacts of a shotcrete task gone wrong is not as easily bearable.
While it may sound enticing to try DIY shotcreting to fill up the cracks in your swimming pool, the long-term results of this undertaking may not be equally pleasant. Inadequately placed shotcrete will begin to crack and wear off quickly. In the end, calling a professional residential concrete contractor to help you out will be inevitable.
But the bad part is that you will have to endure double the cost you would have incurred had you hired the concrete contractor in the first place. So, isn’t it better to do things the correct way from the beginning? That way, you will save yourself the headache of seeing your efforts and finances go down the drain.
Safety And Security
Perhaps the most alarming part of DIY shotcreting is the security risk an individual poses to themselves and the other people around them. You must understand that a nozzle shoots the shotcrete mixture at a very high speed. Without proper safety gear or the right technique, you run the risk of hurting yourself or a passerby.
Clearly, you won’t have a firm grip on all the safety measures you should follow just by watching a bunch of DIY videos. For this reason, you are better off leaving shotcrete tasks to the professionals.
Compliance Obligations
Lastly, shotcreting tasks are part of construction services which require special permissions and compliance with certain standards. If you are not careful, DIY shotcreting may land you in trouble with the law.
About SprayForce Concrete
Boasting COR certification and A+ BBB ratings, we are a team of residential concrete contractors providing a wide range of shotcrete services throughout Calgary. Learn more about SprayForce Concrete.
Need shotcrete services? Contact us now.