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Author: Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak

Concrete does not fail because of the concrete. It fails because the ground underneath was wrong, the weather was wrong, or somebody added water on site to make life easier. I write about the sub-base, the curing and the joints — the three things nobody photographs and everybody skips. Forty-three years of pours taught me that the pour itself is the easy part and the hour before it decides everything.
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  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
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Underpinning in Sequenced Bays
8 min 0
  • Masonry

Underpinning in Sequenced Bays

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 26, 2026
I remember standing in a muddy trench back in ’94, watching a lad try to…
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Doing a Percolation Test Properly
11 min 0
  • Paving

Doing a Percolation Test Properly

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 25, 2026
I remember standing on a site in the Midlands back in ’98, watching a lad…
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Finding Contamination Mid-dig
8 min 0
  • Groundwork

Finding Contamination Mid-dig

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 25, 2026
I remember standing on a site in the Midlands back in ’94, watching a lad…
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Where to Put Joints and Why
8 min 0
  • Concrete

Where to Put Joints and Why

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 24, 2026
I remember standing on a driveway in Surrey about ten years ago, watching a lad…
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Sizing a Soakaway From a Percolation Test
9 min 0
  • Paving

Sizing a Soakaway From a Percolation Test

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 22, 2026
I remember standing in a sodden trench back in ’94, watching a lad try to…
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The Complete Guide to Surface Water Drainage
9 min 0
  • Guides

The Complete Guide to Surface Water Drainage

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 21, 2026
I remember standing on a site in the pouring rain back in ’94, watching a…
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Specifying Hardcore That Compacts
8 min 0
  • Groundwork

Specifying Hardcore That Compacts

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 20, 2026
I remember standing on a site in ’94, watching a lad pour a pristine, high-spec…
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Shrinkage Is Inevitable; Uncontrolled Cracking Is Not
8 min 0
  • Concrete

Shrinkage Is Inevitable; Uncontrolled Cracking Is Not

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 17, 2026
I remember standing on a driveway in Surrey back in ’94, watching a lad from…
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Trees, Clay Soil and Diagonal Cracks
8 min 0
  • Masonry

Trees, Clay Soil and Diagonal Cracks

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 17, 2026
I remember standing on a site in the Midlands back in ’94, watching a lad…
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Channel Drains and Where They Discharge
11 min 0
  • Paving

Channel Drains and Where They Discharge

  • Bartosz Achterberg-Nowak
  • July 14, 2026
I once stood on a driveway in Surrey, watching a young lad try to set…
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