You may not already be aware, but as of June 2022, a month-long labour dispute hit the foundation of Metro Vancouver’s construction industry. A strike by nearly 300 workers shut down 12 concrete operations, slashing the supply of concrete and stalling many projects.
The Homebuilders Association Vancouver said large commercial and industrial projects are taking precedence for deliveries of what little concrete supply remains available, leaving many small and medium residential builders in a shortage.
Why is this important for you to know? This concrete strike has not only affected commercial and residential builders, but also businesses like ours that use concrete for pool and landscape construction processes.
Concrete is the main ingredient in the pools we construct with the shotcrete and/or gunite process. Shotcrete always refers to wet concrete that’s already fully mixed before it’s shot out of a hose. You can check out the the steps to our shotcrete process at-a-glance by reading our previous blog article HERE.
With regard to the current strike, we do not anticipate any delays to our standard consultation and design process. Working with experts, we can continue to identity areas of opportunity, visit your property, and decide on the appropriate concrete pool design for your outdoor space.
The important thing to note is that after the steel framing and pool plumbing is installed in your backyard and everything is set in the appropriate fashion, we’ll need to ensure that there are no delays on the special type of concrete needed to arrive at your property before we can fully prepare for the completed installation.
Typically, the concrete will show up outside your home pre-mixed with water in the barrel of a cement truck, and we will use our special hose and pumping system to funnel this mixture into your backyard. Unfortunately, due to the issues and backlog caused by the concrete strike, many of our projects may be delayed or paused while we await access to the materials needed to complete the job.
Please be aware that these concrete supply issues are not unique to us here at GRN Group. Rather, thousands of construction projects as well as hundreds of jobs are at stake as a strike by members of Teamsters Union Local 213 and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 choke the supply of cement to construction sites across the Lower Mainland.
As we work through these challenging times, please be assured that we have your best interests at heart. We’ve been in the landscape, pool contractor, and retail business all our lives and we will do everything in our power to ensure that your project is completed in a timely manner and you are kept updated along the way!