# Forum More Stuff Debate & Technical Discussion  Why isn't tilt slab more popular in residential construction?

## Macgyver

Just curious. 
It's rare to see any industrial construction use anything other than the tilt slab method.  It's also rare to see any residential construction use the tilt slab method at all. 
Why is this?

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## sol381

Looks ugly, Not easy to run electrical wires or plumbing without trenching. you need a decent amount of space to make the walls and a huge crane with space  to raise them. Just more practical when they are used for a much  larger floor area than a house. Doubt many builders could do them as well. Many other reasons i gather.

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## johnc

Poor thermal insulation, poor sound insulation, design suits large spaces not small rooms, not well perceived after some early efforts. Plus the above comments. There are other reasons, but in design they aren’t really there yet. However they do retain a small footprint in the residential area. Generally they are made off site, trucked in and unloaded by crane, many sites probably don’t have enough access if roads are narrow and a restricted site foot print.  
On the plus side there are actually some creative tilt slab designs that do work

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## John2b

My ex in-laws designed and constructed a three story tilt up residential dwelling in a country town about 15 years ago. Why did they choose to do a tilt-up? Low cost, very fast construction, very good thermal performance (anyone heard of thermal mass?) very good sound good sound insulation (weight is the biggest factor in superior acoustic isolation). Downsides? Not many really; commercial home builder's lack of experience being the main one. Moving a window, plumbing or a power point is really no more difficult than an existing solid brick house.

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## toooldforthis

ugly is in the eye of the beholder.
but as others have said small sites and difficult access for cranes is tricky.
lack of wall cavity makes services difficult but no different to rammed earth/limestone etc. 
I had a bush block in a fire zone and I researched building in concrete. Main problem was Perth builders are too conservative - level the block and pour a slab is their credo. 
There is a good tilt up residence in Bayswater Perth, done a long time ago. Looks good from the street. Can't remember the street name now tho sry. River side of Guildford Rd.

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## pharmaboy2

Not very common are they - I know of one as well TOFT, not sure  if this works https://goo.gl/maps/cQUGFSDN6ivEnQjt9
As it happens, builder/owner does commercial building, so would be very familiar. 
It also probably only lends itself to a modern style of housing with a flat or skillion roof, so not as flexible to style as std frame construction.  Really the building industry doesnt seem to be big on anything new - the cladding materials currently popular in my city have been around for 20-30years, and now starting to get mainstream.

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## toooldforthis

> Not very common are they - I know of one as well TOFT, not sure  if this works https://goo.gl/maps/cQUGFSDN6ivEnQjt9
> As it happens, builder/owner does commercial building, so would be very familiar. 
> It also probably only lends itself to a modern style of housing with a flat or skillion roof, so not as flexible to style as std frame construction.  Really the building industry doesnt seem to be big on anything new - the cladding materials currently popular in my city have been around for 20-30years, and now starting to get mainstream.

  link worked.
I was after something more brutalist.
very common in Spain etc     
altho of course this one was built in Sydney in the 60's
completely beyond a Perth builder.

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