NVHomes Teams up with Morais Enterprises for Luxury Homebuilding May 2000

New Putzmeister Enterprise 32X pump fits residential construction projects like a glove

One of the largest homebuilders in the country is growing at a record pace. With revenues in excess of $1.5 billion annually, NVR, Inc. has a compound growth rate of 65 percent for the last four years.

NVR operates three homebuilding subsidiaries - NVHomes, Ryan Homes and Fox Ridge Homes. Between the three divisions, the company is constructing homes at developments in 10 states and 16 metropolitan areas.

In the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas, the NVHomes residences spell luxury single-family homebuilding at its finest. And with the booming economy in these areas, the company currently has homes under construction at 50 developments in the nine counties surrounding these cities.

To keep pace with this growth, NVHomes has turned to several exclusive contractors at various developments - including Morais Enterprises for concrete pumping at several developments in the Washington, D.C., area.

John Adler, NVHomes' general manager, said they are constructing as many as 50 homes at a development. On an annual basis, the company is building more than 1,200 homes in the Washington-metro area alone.

"We've relied on Morais Enterprises since 1992, long before this housing boom," said Adler. "They've been a partner in our success since. We succeed with long-term relationships. When we ask for project bids, we try to use the same contractors for the entire development. This way both companies can better budget for manpower and equipment."

Keeping pace with the demand, Morais recently added a new Enterprise 32X-150 truck-mounted boom pump to his other Putzmeister equipment. "It's not just any pump," Morais clarified, "it's the first one off the line!" He explained that it was displayed in Putzmeister's exhibit at the World of Concrete. "We drove it home after the show. It's perfect for wall contractors and residential concrete work."

He would know, he's a 28-year concrete veteran. In addition to starting Morais Enterprises eight years ago, he owns Newport Concrete - a 200-man general concrete contracting business that also serves the residential construction market.

In 1987, he started Newport Concrete and never looked back. His success with NVHomes and other large developers has also helped. He added that the last four years' residential market have been the best he's ever had. "We're operating three pumps (28-, 32- and 36-meter units) eight to 12 hours a day and working five or six days a week," said Morais. "We're pumping concrete at six to 12 homes a day and about 1,800 homes a year."

They're big homes, too. The minimum size for a single-family home by NVHomes in the Washington area is about 3,000 square feet (914 m2), and the company frequently builds homes in the 5,000-square-foot (1,524 m2) range. The average selling price is about $507,000.

Morais said that a truck-mounted concrete pump is ideal equipment for this application for several reasons. Many of the home sites are tight and don't have enough room for ready-mix trucks to maneuver on them. And NVHomes doesn't want construction vehicles driving on and off the rough site - they want the streets to remain clean at all times. As Morais explained, "They don't want muddy roads when showing $500,000 homes to buyers. With the pump's reach, we can set up in the street and pour the footings, walls or slabs without moving the unit."

The Enterprise 32X-150 has a 92-foot (28 m) horizontal reach and a 105-foot (32 m) vertical reach. Plus, the unit is outfitted with Putzmeister's trademark 5-inch (127 mm) delivery line on all four sections. The size of the line is important because the contractor uses a harsh, low-slump mix - and they're pumping the concrete fairly slow. "You don't want to blow a wall in the middle of a 40-yard pour," said Walter Ribas, the operator on the Enterprise pump. "Smaller pipe or pipe with reducers can get clogged."

Depending on the season, the contractor uses a 4- to 5-inch (102 - 127 mm) slump that contains a crushed 1-inch (25.4 mm) or less limestone. They generally use a 2,500 psi (17.2 N/m2) mix for footings, a 3,000 psi (20.7 N/m2) mix for walls and slabs, and a 3,500 psi (24 N/m2) mix for garages.

The Enterprise 32X-150 has the capacity to pump up to 150 cubic yards (115 m3) of concrete per hour. This model is the first of two new Enterprise units that Putzmeister introduced at the World of Concrete in February. The other is the 22X-70 - with a 71-foot (22 m) vertical reach and a 60-foot (18 m) horizontal reach.

The Enterprise pumps are an alternative to Putzmeister's premier truck-mounted boom pump line. Tom Teubel, Putzmeister's vice president of sales and marketing, said the new series of pumps gives contractors the opportunity to enter the concrete-pumping business with top-quality equipment at a minimum investment.

"The Enterprise line offers Putzmeister dependability and affordability," explained Teubel. "The pumps don't contain all the standard features of our regular units, reducing a contractor's financial commitment. It will also help contractors who are facing increased bidding competition."

Developer: NVHomes, Fairfax, Va., a division of NVR, Inc., McLean, Va. Concrete contractors: Newport Concrete, Manassas, Va. Ready-mix contractors: Tarmac, Sterling, Va. and DuBrook Concrete, Serling, Va. Concrete pumper: Morais Enterprises, Manassas, Va. Equipment: Enterprise 32X-150 by Putzmeister