Preface

What Makes this Textbook Different from All the Other Construction Materials and Methods Textbooks

THE NEED TO KNOW: Knowledge of construction materials and methods is fundamental to various aspects of construction engineering and management. For example, for construction professionals to understand how to plan, estimate, schedule, supervise, and construct items of work, they must first understand the varying construction conditions and requirements under which the work will be completed, the construction materials, products, and systems that are applicable, the construction work tasks (activities) that will be required to get the work done, and the construction crews that will complete the activities. All of these factors drive performance; they determine how long it will take to complete the job and how much it will ultimately cost. From a design perspective, a thorough understanding of construction materials and methods is essential to analyze and design various construction systems effectively. Additionally, value engineering and related pre-construction practices become possible with an in-depth understanding of the materials and methods that apply.

WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK DIFFERENT: This book presents construction materials and methods in a format that students, young professionals, and seasoned professionals in the area of heavy civil construction can easily relate to. It is designed to equip readers with the practical construction knowledge necessary to succeed in the construction industry. Instead of a fragmented approach to learning how construction materials and methods relate to other aspects of construction, such as cost estimating, project scheduling, project supervision, and construction of work, this book is written with an interrelated and integrated view and focus. The book presents construction materials and methods in an easy-to-understand format, within the context of specific items of work and project scope. This approach makes it easy to see the relationship between knowledge in materials and methods and how that knowledge is applied in other areas. Heavy Civil Construction Materials and Methods is designed for use in introductory construction-related courses and for professionals who need to refresh their knowledge or close knowledge gaps in construction materials and methods.

Many construction materials and methods textbooks focus extensively on the classification and description, and do not address the essential aspect of the “means and methods.” Some textbooks are written to serve as reference books for materials, products, and system selections. Some of the books are voluminous in content and are poorly organized, making it difficult for readers to find relevant information about the construction processes – the means and methods. In addition, none of these books are written in a format that allows the user to quickly relate the various aspects of construction materials, products, and systems to contract items of work and the scope of work based on the contract documents.

This book details the work tasks and crew options, focusing on items of work. This should make it easy for the reader to relate the various aspects of construction materials, products, and systems to items of work and the scope of work. It should also help the reader plan, estimate, schedule, supervise, and construct typical items of work.

Because in today’s socio-economic environment, there are so many distractions, and construction professionals are short on time, knowledge of construction materials and methods resources should be concise and contain all relevant information. For example, a student or young professional wanting to learn about the various aspects of concrete work should be taught about aspects of concrete work within the context of typical project-specific items of work, related scope of work, applicable work tasks, and crews. This is a different model from the current practice where the materials and methods textbooks focus on classifying and describing construction materials, products, systems, and processes.

FOCUS ON THE ITEM OF WORK: Unlike other construction materials and methods textbooks, this book is the first to focus on the item of work. On any given project, the item of work is tied to the scope of work as defined in the contract documents. This unique focus sets this book apart from others in the field.

This book is designed based on project-based learning (PBL). Each knowledge path is structured around actual project items of work and a scope of work based on actual project specifications and drawings. The construction procedures in this book are related explicitly to actual construction projects. This approach encourages learning by actively engaging in meaningful real-project learning, allowing readers to immediately apply what they are learning.

Each area or division of materials and methods discussed in this book covers the following areas: typical construction equipment used, typical materials used, typical terminologies, and typical attributes and principles. In addition, each item of work discussed in this book covers the scope of work per contract specifications, sample drawings, construction methods with detailed tasks, crew options, daily cost analysis, trend charts, specific quality control measures, and specific safety hazards.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This book is not a theoretical guide. It is designed for construction students, young professionals, and seasoned professionals seeking to gain real-world practical knowledge on the fundamentals of construction materials and methods. It is a tool to help you and your organization become more efficient and effective in planning, estimating, scheduling, supervising, and constructing.

Format of this Book

The book is broken into units or divisions. The ten (10) units include: earthwork construction, stormwater drainage construction, base and subbase construction, pavement construction, foundation construction, retaining wall construction, concrete construction for heavy civil projects, structural steel construction for bridges, timber construction for timber structures, and miscellaneous construction.

Each unit or division starts with a section on general aspects. The general aspects cover general concepts that are applicable to the items of work within the unit.  This section provides a characterization of the unit. The general aspects cover the following areas:

• A Succinct Description of the Unit or Division
• Typical Factors to Consider at Bid/Proposal Phase of the Unit
• Use and Application of the Unit
• MasterFormat Classification Related to the Unit
• Other Related and Useful Classifications Related to the Unit
• Typical Trades Related to the Unit
• Typical Construction Equipment Related to the Unit
• Typical Construction Materials and Products Related to the Unit
• Engineering Calculations Related to the Unit
• Definitions of Terminologies Related to the Unit
• Safety Hazards Related to the Unit

An in-depth discussion on related items of work within the unit follows the general aspects of each unit. Several items of work are covered in the book and organized by the units. Each item of work covers an extensive discussion of the following areas:

• A Succinct Description of the Item of Work
• Sample Contract Specifications with Detailed Requirements of the Item of Work, and Checklist for Reading and Interpreting the Specifications
• Sample Contract Drawings with Detailed Requirements of the Item of Work, and Checklist for Reading and Interpreting the Drawings
• Typical Testing and Sampling of the Item of Work in the Field Performed to Control the Quality of Field Placement Operations
• Typical Field Inspections of the Item of Work
• Specific Factors to Consider at Bid/Proposal of the Item of Work
• Typical Set of Construction Work Tasks (activities) of the Item of Work as Used for Cost Estimating, Project Scheduling, Field Supervision, and Construction
• Work Planning and Cost Estimating Analysis of Select Work Tasks of the Item of Work
• Daily Cost Analysis of Select Work Tasks of the Item of Work
• Trend Chart of Select Work Tasks of the Item of Work
• Practice Exercises

Webbooks and Interactive Content

This is not just any other textbook; it is an interactive and engaging webbook. Webbooks live online and are accessed online.

The choice for a webbook instead of an eBook or a printed book is that it opens a whole new world of learning, offering an opportunity to deliver extensive and rich interactive content that helps gamify learning. This means that the webbook will be continuously updated with new and exciting, project-based interactive content that reflects real-world project scenarios, ensuring that the knowledge you gain is always relevant and up-to-date.

We are passionate about sharing our extensive industry experience with students, young professionals, and seasoned professionals. We want to give you affordable access to what we know, and a webbook checks all the boxes for us.

Both authors bring a wealth of construction know-how and want complete control of the textbook’s content. Unlike eBooks and printed books, webbooks are ideal for using H5P interactive content. Webbooks enable quicker changes and updates while delivering unparalleled industry knowledge to end-users. This will also enable the rapid implementation of new ideas and content following the end user’s assessment and feedback. You may be asking, how will this be implemented in the webbook? Two key features that will roll out with the webbook include the Q&A feature and the review feature. Both of these features will allow users to ask the authors questions specific to the webbook that they are reading, as well as rate the webbook and provide their review comments.

Hardcopy textbooks may take between 3 and 5 years to be updated with new editions, incorporating new knowledge and improvements. Webbooks, on the other hand, are updated regularly to reflect new knowledge, improvements, corrections, additions of omitted items, and constructive review comments from readers. By doing so, webbooks are always current and up-to-date.

In the book “Play to Learn” by Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp, the authors conclude that carefully designed, developed, and implemented interactive learning games are effective for learning. The authors gathered and presented several studies to support their conclusion.

Users of this webbook will be exposed to active learning using H5P. H5P enables the creation of various content types, including 360-degree virtual tours, interactive videos, branching scenarios, sequencing, and more. These content types are integrated into this webbook to create a rich and exciting learning experience. Branching content created with H5P can help to simulate real project scenarios and decision-making. Additionally, several calculators and forms are included in this book to simulate real-world project cases and scenarios.

About the Authors

Both authors have extensive knowledge of heavy civil construction.

George Okere

Dr. Okere is a professor and the heavy civil construction endowed chair at the University of Cincinnati. He spent twenty-three (23) years in the construction industry, with 11.5 years working for Kiewit, one of North America’s largest and most respected engineering and construction organizations. Dr. Okere has been in academia for the past ten years. You might say that he teaches what he practiced. From construction industry experience, he knows the importance of knowledge of construction materials and methods. As an educator involved in teaching the new generation of engineers, he has firsthand knowledge of how construction materials and methods courses are taught in construction-related programs in the US. He also knows where the gaps are. As such, he has focused on project-based learning to align his courses with the practices and needs of construction projects. Using an immersive and hands-on approach, he teaches construction materials and methods, cost estimating, project scheduling, contract changes and claims, and temporary structures. He has shared his teaching methods in papers presented at American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conferences. Since 2020, Dr. Okere has maintained an innovative, interactive, and gamified website that he designed, configured, and deployed for his students to use as a knowledge refresher and to help close knowledge gaps related to 13 paths in construction management knowledge. Dr. Okere has in-depth knowledge of instructional design methods and technologies and is an expert in designing and deploying interactive and engaging content. He incorporates real-world projects, in-class exercises, and assignments into all his classes, enabling his students to acquire practical construction knowledge that prepares them for a construction career.

Scott Jennings

Mr. Jennings’ thirty (30) year career as a heavy civil construction professional has spanned from coast-to-coast to Hawaii to Alaska in all roles from field engineer to Owner/CEO. He is a registered professional civil engineer with both baccalaureate and graduate degrees in civil engineering. After Mr. Jennings exited his solely-owned construction and engineering businesses in 2016, he founded the SJ Construction Consulting firm, pursuing consultative opportunities in construction claims, estimating, construction management, litigation support, surety, and private equity firm assistance in the construction industry. Mr. Jennings has written and recorded over 290 blogs and podcasts, freely sharing his extensive knowledge of heavy civil construction. Mr. Jennings knows firsthand the issues that result from young professionals lacking a solid foundation in construction materials and methods, irrespective of whether they choose the construction management or design route. Scott is also a lecturer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

This book is the product of our years of experience in the field and the result of a collaborative research effort. We extensively reviewed numerous external sources of knowledge to fact-check, verify, and substantiate the content of this book.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the following heavy civil construction educators with years of teaching experience in heavy civil construction who reviewed this book and provided feedback, and perspectives that have helped shape and tailor the book’s content. The focus of the review by the educators was 1) to evaluate if this book is a good fit for use as a construction materials and methods textbook for heavy civil construction and 2) to provide suggestions for changes that could be made to make it a go-to textbook.

We are honored and thankful to these heavy civil construction educators who reviewed this textbook:

1. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Autumn Leveridge, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University
2. Chris Souder, College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management, California State University, Chico

We acknowledge the following heavy civil construction seasoned professionals with years of experience in heavy civil construction who reviewed this book and contributed valuable technical reviews, and feedback to help improve this book. We knew that getting constructive and even painful feedback from other heavy civil construction experts would improve the book. The focus of the feedback by the experts was 1) on the structure of this book’s sections and subsections as well-designed, easy to follow, and aligned with the desk manual format, 2) on clarity and accuracy of the construction practices outlined in this book, 3) on the practice exercise question bank (per item of work and unit) as engaging enough, and 4) on other items of work that they would like to see included in future updates.

We are honored and thankful to these heavy civil construction seasoned professionals who reviewed this textbook:

1. Ravi Agrawal, Goodfellow Bros.
2. Daniel Miller, Ohio Department of Transportation
3. Zac Farrell, John R. Jurgensen Company
4. Alex Fromong, Schermer Construction, Inc.
5. Manny Diaz, SUNDT Construction

We acknowledge the following young professionals, some of whom are former students of Dr. Okere; they helped review this book and provided valuable feedback. The focus of the review by the young professionals was 1) to verify if this book would be of use to someone in heavy civil construction to help them develop a good understanding of the various heavy civil items of work, specifications, and drawings checklist, the applicable work tasks, the field inspection items, work planning, daily cost analysis, trend chart, testing and sampling, and checklist to consider at bid and proposal phase, 2) to evaluate how well this book would have helped to prepare them for practice if they were exposed to the book while in college.

We are honored and thankful to these heavy civil young professionals who reviewed this textbook:

1. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Andrew Nordi, Tucci & Sons Inc.
2. Ryan Davis, Kokosing Construction Company, Inc.
3. Trevor Paul, Keller
4. Andy Vavrousek, Max J. Kuney Company
5. Aaron O’Kelly, JTM Construction
6. Jared Scher, The Walsh Group.
7. Annaliza Mariscal, OAC Services, Inc.

Finally, we want to thank our families for their patience and tolerance as this book was written.

I greatly appreciate the love, patience, and tolerance of my wife, Paula, for her understanding and support during the writing of this book. – George Okere

About Public Records Law Compliance

The sample specifications, drawings, and some images in this book are publicly available data gathered from Public Works and State DOTs. The Authors have made efforts to comply with and follow State and Local Government public records laws, which give the public the right to use public records. Public records are defined as information that is made available to the public. These records do not require confidentiality or integrity protection and are open for public access and use. Accessing and using public records already available on a government agency’s website or public records database does not require a formal request under public records law. Accessing and using “public records” by default eliminates the need to go through a formal request process to access them. However, when the information is not publicly available, a formal request is made to the appropriate government agency to obtain and use it in this book. The authors have also made necessary attribution to the sources of those records.

Publisher

GP2Z LLC

Gamified Educational Content Consultant and Publisher

www.gp2z.com

PG2Z LLC Owns the Rights to All the Gamified Content Used in this Webbook.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the authors’ prior written permission, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Date: 08-06-2025

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publishers and the authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained in this book may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publishers nor the authors shall be held liable for damages arising therefrom.

Summary of Key Features

Get ahead in construction with the right textbook. Push your career ahead, and use your construction knowledge to improve project outcomes consistently.

This book is written for you, the construction student, the young professional, and the seasoned professional seeking to gain knowledge on the fundamentals of construction materials and methods. This book should help you and the organizations that you work for become more efficient and effective in planning, estimating, scheduling, supervising, and constructing construction projects.

This is a how-to book on “how construction items of work and related components are built.” The coverage areas presented below capture the features of this book. These areas serve as the basis and checklist for users to compare the content of this book to any other book written on construction materials and methods. We are sure that users will quickly see why this book was written.

Key Features

In the construction industry, grounded knowledge of construction materials and methods is the foundation for:

• How the construction professionals perform quantity takeoff and cost estimating of items of work,
• How the construction professionals plan and schedule items of work,
• How the construction professionals construct items of work in the field,
• How the construction professionals manage contract changes to items of work,
• How the construction professionals perform progress measurements of items of work,
• How the construction professionals manage field productivity of items of work,
• How the construction professionals manage construction materials and products incorporated into items of work,
• How the construction professionals manage and use labor efficiently,
• How the construction professionals manage and use construction equipment efficiently,
• How the construction professionals prepare work plans, how we manage daily costs,
• How the construction professionals control quality,
• How the construction professionals mitigate safety hazards, and
• How the construction professionals analyze construction risks.