Building with concrete

I didn’t know that you could rent forms.  I know a good guy the does cement work but I don’t know if he’s willing to rent his equipment, I’d kind of be surprised if he would. 

I think VI Concrete does, the guy building the home near me just had 4-5 truck loads dropped off.  They look relatively new and he used plywood for the cistern and everything else prior to using the forms for the walls.

If you're building new structure where earth is moved, then you have consulted an architect or contractor to help with the design and pulling the permit for your project.

This is true even for a retaining wall.

So ... why not ask the expert? 

Posted by: @jeffatds9

Does anyone know who rents or sells concrete forms on-island (preferably on St Croix)?

Form Works indicates that they rent concrete forms starting at $3 per square foot and will also consult and install if needed...

I've never used them, but they've been around for almost 20 years.

http://www.formworkscorp.com/

Our neighbor is building a house with 3/4" plywood, 2 x 4s and snap ties. He's built the basement and cistern walls and expects to sell the wood for about 1/2 what he paid for it when he's finished.

There's also one listing in the materials section of Craigslist for a large bundle of forms in St Thomas - depending on how reasonable they are and their condition, you may be able to get the bundle shipped over.

@daveb722 - Thank you for the great lead on VI Concrete. I'll follow-up on Monday.

@rewired - Thank you for the terrific leads on Form Works and on the Craigslist listing. I had tried searching Craigslist before, but most have not used the right search terms. I'm following-up now.

For anyone interested in building with plywood forms for concrete, here are a couple of links:

https://jasper-wood-products.com/pdf/Concrete%20Forming%20APA%20Brochure.pdf

https://www.constructionknowledge.net/public_domain_documents/Div_6_Woods_Plastics/Partial%20Carpentry%20pdfs/Forms_Concrete_%20Army_FM5-426.pdf

Be aware that more steel reinforcement (rebar) is used here than most places in the States. You need to check with DPNR on permitting, inspections and requirements for construction and be familiar with local building codes.