Insuring Tilt-Up Construction vs. Concrete Block

Tilt-Up Concrete vs. Concrete Block

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3 min

Hi there! Ahhh...Fall in Florida. It's a crisp 86 degrees, and Halloween is right around the corner.

I wear this costume all month long to keep the spirit alive. It's a little gamey, but, hey, the smell keeps people away from my desk.

I love the old-school, tried-and-true costumes. And just like a classic costume, concrete construction is always a solid choice.

So let's talk about the two popular types of concrete construction eligible through the Builders Risk Plan insured by Zurich: concrete block and tilt-up concrete.

Concrete block is what it sounds like: individual concrete blocks that are laid from the foundation up. You might see concrete block construction for single-family homes, duplexes, even smaller office buildings and retail buildings.

It's typically more stable, easier to assemble in areas with high winds. It offers more design flexibility, like walls with different heights or thickness, and it's adaptable to different types of foundations and elevations.

Some of the drawbacks to concrete block are longer construction and timelines, higher labor costs from the process of laying mortar and brick blocks down.

So, what about tilt-up construction?

This construction method uses precast concrete panels that are lifted into place using cranes to form the building's exterior walls. You see this a lot with construction of warehouses, distribution centers and schools, just to name a few.

Some of the most common reasons to choose tilt-up construction are lower cost for large projects, faster construction timelines, and more design choices.

Some sources even say tilt-up is safer, but experts are divided on that.

But when it comes to ensuring tilt-up, there's a lot of risk to consider. Structural integrity could be a problem if panels are poorly designed. There's the lifting and rigging hazards, equipment failure, and property damage or injuries due to negligence.

As you can imagine, high wind and earthquake prone areas are also a big concern.

While we can certainly entertain this type of construction, underwriting will want to take a closer look. When you're filling out the application on usassure.com, make the choice to properly classify construction type. You'll want to have this detail correct should a claim occur, or an inaccurate application could cause a hiccup for your client.

Once you've reached the spot in the application where details about the roof type, the floors, the walls are required, make sure to select the right type of building material from the drop down box. Whether it's tilt-up walls or concrete block.

All right, now you're up to speed with these construction types. I am off to do some trick or treating around the office, and I hope they have more than just raisins this time around. ‘Til next time.

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