Reinforced concrete, formed, fixed and poured in one sequence
Reinforced concrete slabs, walls, columns, bases and foundations from MCMurdie Contracts LTD, with formwork and steel handled by the same contractor. Request a quote.
What’s involved
MCMurdie Contracts LTD builds reinforced concrete foundations, slabs, walls, columns and bases. Because shuttering, steel fabrication and concreting are all declared services here, the formwork, the reinforcement and the pour can be planned as one job, from the ground up.
Good to know
Why concrete needs steel
Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, so on its own it cracks where a slab, beam or wall bends. Steel reinforcement carries that tension. In a suspended slab most of the main bars sit near the bottom face, where the slab is stretched between supports; in a cantilever or over a support they move to the top.
Rebar, mesh and the bar schedule
Loose bars (usually high-yield B500 rebar) are cut and bent to shapes listed on a bar bending schedule to BS 8666, then tied in place. Welded fabric mesh, such as A-series or B-series sheets, suits ground-bearing slabs and simpler panels where a uniform grid does the job. Laps, starter bars and links are where problems tend to hide, so they are checked against the engineer's details before any concrete arrives.
More to know
Cover: the steel's protection
Cover is the depth of concrete between the reinforcement and the outside face. It protects the steel from moisture, carbonation and chlorides, and from fire. The required cover depends on the exposure class in BS 8500, for example XC for carbonation, XD for de-icing salts and XF for freeze-thaw. Plastic or concrete spacers hold the cage off the formwork so the cover survives the pour.
Placing, compacting and curing
Once poured, concrete is compacted with a poker vibrator to drive out trapped air, which otherwise leaves honeycombing and weak spots around the bars. Curing then keeps the surface moist and protected while the cement hydrates. Striking formwork too early, or letting a slab dry out in wind or sun, costs strength and invites surface cracking. Test cubes taken at the pour confirm the concrete met its specified class.
Why people choose us
Formwork, steel and concrete under one contractor
With shuttering and reinforcement handled alongside the concreting, there are fewer handovers between separate trades and less waiting for one gang to finish before the next can start.
Built in the right order
Excavation, blinding, formwork, steel fixing and the pour follow each other in sequence, so each stage is ready for the next and planned around the rest of the build.
A direct line to the contractor
Questions about levels, pour dates or reinforcement details go straight to the people doing the work.
Questions
Have a specific question about your drawings or structural package? Call directly or request a quote.
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Get in touch
Get in touch
Direct contractor contact. Send drawings or call to discuss foundations, steel fabrication, or concrete work.