If you have Netflix (and who doesn’t?) you may have noticed Planet Earth II is out. Episode 6 of Planet Earth II is actually not about a typical wilderness, it’s about cities. The astonishing thing is that it’s not an indictment of cities as constructed human environments, but an exploration of the beauty and complexity of life (and wildlife) in the world’s cities. This got me thinking about the role of a construction company in relation to environmentalism. The role of a demolition company is even more complex. While many might think that environmentalism and construction/demolition are not good bedfellows I actually think there’s a lot we can learn from environmentalism. It doesn’t need to be seen as a nuisance (like some people see safety programs). It (just like safety) is an integral part of our working lives.

When living in a concrete world it can be easy to forget about nature. But the reality is that our cities are part of a larger ecosystem. The large amounts of concrete in cities such as Calgary change the way that animals and vegetation behave in that environment, and not always for the worse. Recognizing that we don’t live apart from nature is an important first step in moving towards environmental sustainability. There’s a lot that we can do as a company and that you can do as an individual to lower our environmental impact.

Some easy things you can do in an urban environment to cut down on your carbon footprint are using public transport, not buying plastic water bottles (or reusing them when you do), and remembering to turn off lights when not in use.

As a company we are conscious of our role in modifying the constructed environment in a sustainable way. Sometimes this is as simple as preventing waste material from the cutting process from entering the storm drains and disposing of it properly. Sometimes it’s more complex, like when we held off on a project because a bridge that needed to be demolished had become a nesting ground for a protected bird.

This doesn’t mean that work has to stop, but it does mean, just like with safety, that we have to rethink the way we go about it. Be conscious of this beautiful concrete wilderness and let’s protect it together. We’re committed to a sustainable approach and hope you’ll join us.

You may have heard of GPR scanning (or just scanning before) maybe it was just a passing remark, a note on this site, or a requirement for a job, but many people don’t understand the importance of, and power, of scanning. This post should provide you with a primer.

When working in the demolition of a material like concrete one has to struggle with the problem of encountering what exists beneath the surface. Sometimes this is as simple as trying to avoid damaging the structural integrity of concrete reinforced with rebar and sometimes it means avoiding dangerous and costly services like electrical and plumbing. Whether a new project or an old renovation it’s not always easy to tell what you’re up against. Rebar, conduits, and plumbing can move during the pouring process and they can end up in unexpected places, or, given the age of a project you might have no idea at all what’s below the surface or in that wall. In order to find out you have two viable options. One is x-raying and the other is GPR scanning (or Ground Penetrating Radar scanning). The problem with x-rays is that they are costly, dangerous and require access to the other side of the material, so slab on grade (like many floors) is simple a no go. X-raying is, however, extremely accurate, but GPR scanning has been catching up in accuracy and more than makes up for this shortcoming in its reasonable cost, safety, and speed. When you x-ray you may need to empty a building and do the work at night. When you scan you can do it during the day while other work continues so there’s no need to put your project on hold.

So, how does it work? Well it’s pretty simple actually. GPR scanning sends a signal into the material being scanned and waits to receive a response, just like sonar in a submarine. The characteristics of the response can give you a good indication of the location, size, and even material something in the concrete is made out of. This means you can easily mark out a grid right there on the concrete demonstrating where everything is and at what depth, and with some certainty, what it is.

So, who should use GPR scanning? Well anyone actually! GPR scanning may be a safety requirement on your jobsite in which case you might see it as a hassle, but it can save you thousands of dollars in lost hours and repairs. That shouldn’t be overlooked. Even if GPR scanning isn’t a requirement on your project you should probably consider GPR scanning because if there might be anything in the concrete you don’t want to encounter GPR scanning is the cheapest and fastest way to find out what you’re up against.

Give us a call today to learn more and to receive a free quote. Any project could use the extra peace of mind.

With the first day of spring and officially having more sunlight than darkness we can finally breath easy and celebrate the arrival of construction season!

There’s an old saying in Alberta. It’s probably an old saying in a lot of places but it’s particularly apt in Alberta. “There are two seasons: Winter and Construction.” Well, Spring is here so you know what that means! It’s time for construction season. Now is the time to start thinking about all your residential, commercial, and industrial projects and how Rodeo Cutting & Coring Ltd. can you help you achieve your goals.

Our commercial and Industrial customers will have already been chomping at the bit to get started into the season as early as possible so many of them will have begun already but it’s important as a residential customer to think about your project needs ahead of time. If you have any renovation, construction, or repair needs now may be the time to do your research and decide whether concrete cutting will be necessary for your project. If you’re in doubt about it you can always call us and ask questions about relevant regulations, permits, work requirements, etc. We’re more than happy to speak with our customers and help them complete their projects.

It’s important to note that by far the most common concrete cutting project for residential customers is window cutting and enlargement. You can read more about this process throughout our site. We have blog posts about it, information pages about it, and as always you can use our quote form to ask us for a quote on your project.

Finally, don’t forget that window cutting isn’t the old time you might need concrete cutting on your residential project. Plumbing, heating, ventilation, air condition, trenching, retaining wall adjustments, patio stone cutting, concrete fireplaces… these are all reasons to call in a concrete cutter for your project even if it’s just a quick core drill or a large demolition project.

Enjoy the new season of Spring/Construction!

With a name like Rodeo Cutting & Coring Ltd. customers are often surprised to find just how widespread our services really are. One of the areas we specialize in that surprise many new customers is the areas of earthworks and excavation. Earthworks and excavation play an integral role in a great deal of standard concrete cutting work and so while we have the equipment for these bread and butter tasks, we also specialize in the other uses of the equipment that can help our customers.

First of all earthworks and excavation equipment is indispensable in large scale demolition and concrete removal. Much of our work creates huge amounts of demolition waste that needs to be disposed of efficiently and safely. Excavation equipment like skid steers and tracked excavators allow us to quickly break and move concrete from our demolition work. But that isn’t all. One of the primary tasks for a slab saw is cutting concrete trenching. Not only are our excavators useful in removing the concrete from these trenches but they are also essential to digging trenching for electrical and plumbing services below the concrete. We use our fleet of equipment to dig these trenches efficiently, remove waste material, and refill and repack with gravel when necessary. What’s more is that this work can take place indoors or outdoors. A number of our Kubota excavators are EPA Tier 4 compliant so they can be safely used indoors.

However, like I said, employing our excavation and earthworks equipment in the service of concrete demolition and removal isn’t the only reason we use it. We are also happy to take on large or small scale landscape projects entirely unrelated to our other concrete services. These projects can include transporting and placing decorative rock, digging ponds and other landscape features, and really just about anything you can imagine. Call us today to discuss your project. We’re sure we can help you complete it on time and on budget.

In today’s blog post I want to take some time to talk about safety. As the Spring approaches and work begins to pick up it’s important to remember the role of safety in our business. The attitude towards safety in the construction and demolition industries has improved dramatically over the years but we still have a long way to come. Whether we’re working on a residential project where safety is easily overlooked or on a busy industrial or commercial site where safety can be seen as a nuisance and something that gets in the way of timely job completion it’s important to remember that safety saves lives.

Rodeo is committed to the safety of our employees and customers. This commitment is easier now than it used to be but it will always be a commitment we maintain regardless of the difficulty and industry standards. We have proven our commitment to the safety of our employees and customers through our Certificate of Recognition (COR) which we received in 2012 and have maintained since then. We have also maintained a strong working relationship with and membership in the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA). Our COR and membership in the ACSA are signs to our current and potential customers that we take safety very seriously.

No matter how tempting it may be to cut corners in order to make more money or finish a job sooner Rodeo is committed to doing our job safely. This is our promise to you.