The advantage of using concrete blocks

In construction, one can use burnt or soil bricks, blocks, clay, or hollow concrete blocks for their building projects.

However, it all comes down to quality and the intended use of such materials for a particular construction project.

Concrete blocks

Concrete blocks are made of stone dust, sand, gravel, cement and water, molded to create a solid rectangular block. Dan Wasswa Kakande, a civil engineering practitioner at Kawunde Projects Consulting Engineers says concrete is an essential element for building a structure because it enhances and improves its sustainable performance. Based on the construction type and size, there are three types of concrete blocks:

Makiga block structure

• Solid concrete blocks: these are used to make tough construction ranges like dams, bridges.
• Hallow concrete blocks: these are used to make structural walls and portioning walls, standard core filled block and they are extremely light in nature.
• Interlocking concrete blocks: these blocks are used where an interlocking system is placed on each other. They are designed to be used for different purposes like decoration and load bearing. Eng. Kakande says concrete blocks can be solid, hollow or both.

Highly durable building materials

Construction blocks that are compressed by high pressure and vibration make the building strong, resilient, and hardened to severe load and weight. This enables a building to last for over 100 years with no major renovations taking place. Samuel Kisakye, a professional builder adds that if you get outstanding quality concrete blocks from a credible manufacturer, they are normally stronger and the load they can carry is greater than that of locally-baked clay bricks

Makiga blocks laid down

Better insulation properties

Concrete blocks are insulated against heat, dampness and sound.  They enable a building to be cool and warm throughout the year evenly.

Environment-friendly

Concrete blocks limit pollution because they are machine made and do not produce fumes that harm the environment. They protects irreplaceable agricultural land, which otherwise would have been excavated extensively to manufacture clay bricks.

Low maintenance costs

Buildings made of hollow breeze blocks are cheap to maintain compared to other building materials. Hollow cement or concrete blocks allow a building owner to save on construction costs because they reduce the weight of the entire building. They also enable the contractors to make better choices of whether or not to plaster and paint. Kakande adds that interlock blocks can build walls, water and septic tanks without using mortar between each block, thus saving on resources.

Conserves space

The construction of thin walls with hollow cement blocks is common these days and it helps to minimize space used in construction and increases the floor area.

Bonding of mortar and plaster

Since the surfaces of construction blocks are rough, this provides for good bonding between mortar and plaster.

Uniformity

Unlike clay bricks, concrete blocks from factories are uniform. When you get one side smooth, the other automatically becomes smooth as well. “If you do not plaster locally-made clay bricks, the wall will not appear smooth. You will also have to make the plaster thicker,” Wasswa Balamaga, a civil engineer says.

Cons of concrete blocks

Waterproofing is a must because the blocks are porous. Therefore, there is need for a commercial grade waterproof sealer to ensure that the foundation does not leak even in the later stages. It is difficult to fix future problems with concrete walls and it can be expensive, especially if you need plumbers or electricians to fix a problem. Concrete blocks are also expensive.

Unlike burnt bricks, concrete is typically two to three times more expensive in construction, especially for the foundation which consumes a huge number. Kisakye adds that apart from the open costs, one is also expected to pay more in terms of labour when hiring professional builders for the job