Custom Concrete (Northern)
Ready Mix Concrete
Custom Concrete (Northern) has been producing and delivering concrete to residential, commercial, institutional and industrial customers since 1976. We've built a solid reputation over this time by consistently delivering the highest quality concrete, to specification and on time, along with outstanding customer service.
Custom Concrete Northern has fulfilled the requirements of countless complex projects (a handful of which have been documented on the Portfolio page), and with stationary plants located in Timmins, Hoyle, Iroquois Falls and Cochrane, one of the largest equipment fleets in Timmins with over 30 ready mix trucks, its own aggregate pits producing the highest quality aggregates, a fully equipped heavy equipment and truck shop repair facility with welding and fabrication facilities, a civil engineer and a civil engineering technologist on staff, Custom Concrete (Northern) offers you the capacity and the reliability you need to help complete your project smoothly. Scroll through our testimonials on the right of your screen to see what people are saying about us.
Browse this section to see the various products and services that we offer, and call us to discuss you next project's needs and how we can fulfill them. Alternatively, if it's a quote you're after, click the 'Need a Quote' button at the top of your screen.
Ordering Concrete
Ordering Concrete
Making sure that you're prepared for your concrete delivery is critical to ensuring that you don't run into added costs and delays. Browse through this section to make sure you understand what's involved in ordering concrete and what you can do to help make sure your pour goes as smoothly as possible.
When you are ready to order, or if you'd like a quote, call us or click the 'Need a Quote' button at the top of your screen.
How Much Concrete Does Your Project Require?
We have provided a Concrete Calculator located on the left toolbar to help estimate the amount of concrete needed for the project. Make sure to allow extra for uneven subgrade and spillage, and then round up to the closest 1/4 metre.
Our trucks haul approximately 6.5 to 9 cubic metres (m3) per delivery when fully loaded, so remember that smaller loads often have extra delivery charges. As a result it is usually cheaper to order just a little extra than run the risk of running short short and having to pay additional delivery charges for the balance load.
Are You Ready?
Custom Concrete (Northern) truck getting loaded at the plantMake sure you are ready when the truck arrives. We charge extra for longer deliveries (60 minutes per load is allowed for unloading), so it is important to have enough help and be ready. We try our best to get as close to your desired delivery time as we can.
Time and temperature affect the performance and ability to pour the concrete from the truck, so please understand the need for an organized job. Using our quality concrete will help produce a quality result.
Is the Project Accessible?
Narrow roads are another potential hazard for our ready mix concrete trucks.Our trucks are big vehicles, often weighing up to 80,000lbs when fully loaded. We try not to leave the street and curb unless absolutely necessary and then only with your permission.
Carefully plan how the truck can access the job. Electrical overhead wires, trees, narrow driveways and other hazards can all make the process very difficult and potentially very expensive. Soft terrain or landscaped yards also present a real problem when an 80,000lb vehicle tracks across it.
Can We Get There?
Load restriction sign indicated a load-restricted road.Each Spring throughout Northern Ontario half-load season is on due to the Spring thaw.
This could pose a problem for delivery, as at best we will be forced to haul smaller loads along load-restricted roads requiring additional delivery charges
Talk to Us
Talk to Us about any special needs your concrete placement project requires, such as chemical admixturesThere are many considerations to be made before ordering your concrete, and talking to our disaptchers can be a big help with any questions you may have, or with anything that you may not have thought of that will help with a successful concrete placement.
For example, overworking the mix is a problem that creates issues for our products. The easier the concrete can be placed and worked, the better the long-term quality, appearance and durability. However, adding water and raising the mix's water/cement ratio past the mix's designed amount can significantly reduce the concrete's strength and durability. Super plasticizers are availble from Custom Concrete (Northern) which can boost the workability of the mix without the damage that additional water can bring to the mix.
Furthermore, extreme temperatures, either cold or hot, can adversely affect the placement, curing and durability of concrete. Another set of admixtures offered by Custom Concrete (Northern) are retarders or accelerators, which can slow or speed-up (respectively) the set time of the concrete according to your needs.
These are just some examples of the many considerations that concrete placement requires, so don't forget to call us and we'll be glad to help you with your next project.
Placing Your Order
Placing Your OrderOnce you're ready to go, it's easy. Simply call the office, ask for Dispatch and start the order. Our dispatchers are able to answer any additional questions to make this all go very simply.
Delivery schedules fill up quickly so it is very important that you place your order at least 1-2 days in advance.
When you call to place an order it is extremely important for you to be able to provide dispatchers with as much information as possible. When placing your order, the dispatchers will want to know:
1. Contact Information
Name
Company
Phone Number(s)
2. Date and Time
Delivery Schedules can fill up fast. It works best to place order 24 hours in advance although we try to accommodate same day orders.
3. Delivery Information
Job site address
Nearest Intersection
Postal Code
4. Project Description
Sidewalk, garage floor, patio etc...
5. Mix and Slump
Custom Concrete's (Northern) friendly dispatchers can help you determine the proper mix and slump based on your project type
6. Quantity
Make sure to double check your figures and always order 10% extra concrete to compensate for settling, an uneven sub-base, and spillage. Then round your order up to the nearest 1/4 metre. Use our Concrete Calculator above to work out how much concrete you need.
7. Truck Intervals
If your project needs more than one truck load, you will need to determine how long it will take you to unload each truck. Dispatch can help if you let them know how you are planning to place the concrete.
8. Value Added Products
Color, fibre, admixtures etc...
9. Order Status ('GO' or 'WILL-CALL')
A 'GO' order means that a truck will deliver your order at a specified time. If you have to cancel, you need to let dispatch know at least 2 hours before your delivery time (depending on travel time). A 'WILL-CALL' order means that a delivery time has been scheduled for your order. You must call to confirm at least 4 hours before your scheduled delivery time or a truck will not be sent.
Pouring Concrete
Pouring Concrete
Numerous factors are critical to ensuring your concrete pour is successful and achieves the desired end result, while avoiding costly errors, oversights and delays.
These can be summarised as follows:
These can be summarised as follows:
• Utilizing high quality raw materials
• Ordering the proper concrete for the application
• Skillful placement and finishing
• Following proper curing practices and protecting the concrete
Custom Concrete (Northern) is able to either provide or help you with all four of these, so call us and let us help make sure your project is a success. Alternatively you can fill out the Quick Contact Form on the Home page or, if it's a quote you're after, fill out the 'Need a Quote' button at the top of your screen.
Concrete Testing
Concrete Testing
Custom Concrete (Northern) offers a variety of testing services to ensure your project meets specifications.
See below for some of the services our Quality Control department provides, and please contact us for further information.
Slump Cone, Slump Board and RodA concrete slump test is a test for determining the consistency/workability of concrete by measurement of the spreading of a specified volume of concrete over a flat plate.
Slump Test
Slump Cone, Slump Board and RodA concrete slump test is a test for determining the consistency/workability of concrete by measurement of the spreading of a specified volume of concrete over a flat plate.
The slump test result is essentially a measure of the behaviour of a self compacted cone of concrete under the influence of gravity, which is directly proportional to the workability or dampness of the concrete. It is typically used in the field to determine the workability of a single batch as well as the consistency between multiple batches.
Air Content Test
Air MetreThe air content test determines the air content of plastic concrete using pressure in a vacuum, and is based on the pressure-to-volume relationship of Boyle's Law.
Pressure is applied to a sample of concrete using an aparatus similar to the one to the right, which compresses the entrained air in the pores. The apparatus uses the change in the known volume of air to calculate the air content of the concrete mix.
Compressive Strength Test
Compressive Strength TestCompressive strength is the capacity of a material to withstand axially directed pushing forces. The concrete compressive strength test determines if the mix meets the specified strength by subjective cast cylinder samples to crushing loads.
Source: http://www.customconcretenorthern.com/1/140/ready-mix-concrete/ready-mix-concrete-products-and-services.htm