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Searching for anyone who has had experience with construction using the COVINTEC products. Please share any good or bad experiences with this system of construction. Gracias
This construction system from Mexico has been used for years and is a totally different method than typical concrete block and column construction. Because of the Covintec extruded polystyrene (EPS) panels energy efficiency there is now new interest as related to “Green Home Building”. EPS foam products whether used for insulation or packaging are lightweight, versatile, sanitary, energy efficient, and most of all cost effective. The manufacture of EPS foam uses less energy than that used in the manufacture of paper based alternatives. According to The Midwest Research Institute study on special packaging applications, the total energy requirements to make plastic containers (including both processing and materials energy) were lower than or equal to the energy consumed to make competing materials. Covintec is a building system that replaces traditional block, column, and beam construction.
Covintec comes in 4-foot-by-8-foot panels of steel wire mesh that surrounds expanded polystyrene, which is then covered with traditional plaster. Benefits include structural resistance to hurricane-force winds and earthquake activity; quick installation; great versatility (the panels can be used in a wide array of architectural styles); transportation cost savings because it weighs less than block; improved insulation that reduces noise from outside and between rooms; and protection from humidity damage. Plus, Covintec is relatively seismic-proof, and with eight times the thermal insulation of traditional block systems, tests have shown that it provides electric energy savings for homeowners of 23 percent to 27 percent. And because there’s no wood and the panels are embedded with steel, bugs and critters can’t eat it or chew through it to live inside.
It all sounds great and makes sense on paper but here in CR all the input I have received from contractors who have used the system over the last 10 years has been negative. I am looking for some positive input as this product makes a lot of sense with the advent of “Green Home Building”.I think I read that the builders of “Jardines de Esuenos” are using that system…although I also heard that project is dead?
I tried to locate Jardines de Esuenos but Google doesn’t have the info under that name.
Please post the contact info for this project?http://gardensofdreamscostarica.com I think my spelling was off, I have not re-read it but remember it being discussed.
Our new rancito in the Arenal area was built using Convintec – plus before we decided to use it we visited a number of houses that have been built and are in construction using this system. Jim of Rico Realty has been building with this material for a number of years and the results are great. It is very adaptable and allows a great deal flexiability in design. One of the houses that our contractor is building is a large 3 story house with a circular staircase and all sorts of nooks and crannies, a strange design but one that would be extremely difficult to do with block – If you would like some photos of the ranchito and Jim & Renes office & grill building I could post them on the photo section of the forum, just let me know.
Ruth
About 18 years ago I saw it used a lot in construction in Mexico and Guatemala. They even did staircases and 20 story buildings with it. I thought it was an awesome material and I tried to bring it to Costa Rica. We did some trials with it here in Costa Rica and it turned out that the river sand is not fine enough and gets stuck in the nozzles of the spray gun when doing the plastering “repello” concrete finish. We tried making bigger nozzles but didn’t work. Years later, a developer in Heredia brought the same system from Mexico and started building a low income development with it. A year later the complaints started: the rats were eating through the walls. They had the same problems we were having with the concrete finish and probably left parts of the Styrofoam aka: expanded polystyrene (EPS), uncovered and the rats loved it. This issue was all over the newspapers back then. About 6 years ago, several importers started bringing in the system again and now do the concrete finish they do as they do with the concrete blocks, by hand. I have seen it used a lot in apartment buildings now and a lot on exterior design like the front of the Banco Cuscatlan right next to Lacsa in La Uruca. That’s all Covintec. So apparently, it works well. I don’t know what humidity does to the Styrofoam over the years, but just like drywall, most local buyers once they find out what it is and they can choose between a house built in concrete block or in Covintec, you may guess which one they’ll buy…..Ivo
Some knowledgeable folks (more technically astute than me) are impressed with SuperBolque. Others are not. Compared to the way both our houses were constructed, using the more typical blocks, SuperBloque structures use less vertical steel rebar and fewer poured vertical columns.
The SuperBloques are much wider than a typical block, and they are stacked directly on top of each other. Then a poured column is created as in-fill between the stacks, the wall segments. It seems that the more frequent vertical steel rebars and the concrete poured around them, and the offset vertical seams, in a conventional block wall would make for a stronger structure. I am no engineer, but the structural engineer who built our main house agrees.
On the other hand, maybe SuperBloque is as strong as it needs to be and the conventional approach is overkill.
Friends built their home with SuperBloque. It was about 10% cheaper.
The Super Block product is basically an over sized block that the local tradesmen do not like because of its weight and bulk. When a mason is installing these blocks the labor is complicated by the fact that each block must be lifted on top of the previously installed blocks and it is more difficult than regular sized block. Therefore the fit and distribution of concrete mortar is sacrificed for less quantity of blocks. The width and strength of the vertical steel reinforcement rods (columns) which support the block wall system and horizontal concrete support system (headers) that will support the roof structure are much thinner and smaller. As was previously mentioned these thin steel reinforcement rods and the 4″ x 4″ poured concrete columns that will support the entire structure are marginal and in the event of seismic movement would give out much sooner that a larger vertical steel reinforced column construction system like I install in my traditional concrete block construction method. Traditional vertical concrete support columns are at least 12″ x 8″ and reinforced with six 1/2″ thick steel rods and then the horizontal support headers are at least 12″ x 8″ with a six 1/2″ steel rods. There is additional labor involved in order to assemble the steel reinforcement and install the quantity of blocks used in the traditional construction method but the tradesmen are familiar and accustomed to this method and therefore take pride in the quality of their installation so the consumer receives a higher quality finished product. For the approximate 10% additional cost involved I sleep much better at night knowing my building structures are anti seismic and do not develop fissure cracks prematurely which require much more maintenance for the owners. As was discussed in a previous posting, painting and preparation of poorly installed concrete surfaces is not only expensive but also unsightly until repaired. Since we are approximately 10 degrees north of the equator a prudent and responsible builder needs to factor in the effects of the suns rays as well as the seismic movements here in Costa Rica.
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