Cost of Temporary Enclosures

T he quality of concrete cast in

winter, when suitable protec-
tion is afforded, can be as good or
better than that cast in other sea-
sons. Winter concrete construction
techniques are aimed at several ob-
jectives.
1. Providing temperatures high
enough to harden concrete.
2. Maintaining these tempera-
tures to prevent concrete from
freezing.
3. Obtaining the strength re-
quired for construction loads.
4. Improving workers’ comfort
and efficiency.
5. Protecting materials.
These techniques cost money in
added labor and materials; the
question is, do the benefits justify
the added expense? To make this
decision we must first determine
what the added expense will be.
Let’s examine some aspects of en-
closure construction costs.
Enclosures normally are built for
t e m p o ra ry use. Hence, low-cost,
lightweight but tightly sealed enclo-
sure construction is the goal. Costs
chargeable to a job will be reduced if
the enclosure can be reused on the
same project or at a later time.
Temporary enclosures are gener-
ally of two types: low-rise and high-
rise. Enclosures for low-rise build-
ings may completely encase the
structure. They may be erected be-
fore foundations are cast and re-
main in place until the building
shell is completed.
Complete enclosure—walls and
ceiling—of the top floor being built
is a feature of multi-story, high rise
construction. This top enclosure ris-
es with the structure. As successive
floors are completed and the top en-
closure is raised, openings between
columns or in walls are closed with
t e m p o ra ry panels. These panels
may remain in place until all crafts
A combination of materials were used to construct this temporary enclosure
while work was in progress on the Portland Cement Association headquarters
building in Skokie, Illinois.
have completed work or until win-
dows are ready for installation.
When the exterior walls must be
protected, as in the case of masonry,
enclosed scaffolding may supply the
required protection.
Objectives
Materials for enclosure must be
inexpensive and relatively durable
to permit reuse. They must seal the
opening against the entry of cold air.
They must be easy to erect and light
in weight. Translucent material is
p re f e rable because it permits sun-
light to help heat the enclosure and
makes supplementary lighting un-
necessary for the most part.
Clear polyethylene is a common-
ly used enclosure material. It is used
in thicknesses from 4 to 12 mils
(0.994 to 0.012 inches) and may be
purchased in widths up to 40 feet.
Polyethylene reinforced with a fiber
mesh is also available commercially
and is widely used. Canvas is also
used, usually in 10 to 12 ounce
weights. Building paper is a possi-
bility as an enclosure material, al-
though it is less durable than some
of the other materials.
Framing and supports for enclo-
sures may be made of lumber or
lightweight metal. Where job cir-
cumstances permit, tubular scaf-
folding has been used successfully.
Polyethylene enclosures
Clear polyethylene for temporary
enclosures is less resistant to rip-
ping and tearing in use than is nylon
reinforced polyethylene, which can
often be reused many times. Rein-
forced polyethylene can be used to
make panels, lathed rolls, tarpau-
lins, or it can be attached in place to
a frame built for it.
The advantage of the first three
enclosure methods is that they may
be fabricated at ground level, per-
haps within heated shelters. Prefab-
ricated panels, with modular di-
mensioning, permit ready reuse and
offer perhaps the best method of re-
alizing the economies which are
possible with reinforced polyethyl-
ene. Lathed rolls afford ready instal-
lation and the easiest storage be-
tween uses. Tarpaulins can be used
with the assistance of shock cord, in
the enclosure of vertical surfaces.
With any of these methods, it is
important to secure the edges of the
enclosures. Framing timber can be
expected to warp, so care should be
taken to seal joints to reduce heat-
ing costs. This can be accomplished
with tape.
Si ze s, amounts of material in-
volved, as well as labor will affect the
cost of enclosures. Unfinished 1 by 2
inch lumber at a cost of about 2.5
cents per lineal foot can be used to
fabricate these elements. Rein-
forced polyethylene will cost about
6 to 7 cents per square foot.
Covering materials described
above are lightweight and expose
large areas to the wind. For this rea-
son, they must be hoisted and at-
tached carefully. A 10 by 12 foot pan-
el will weigh only a few pounds, but
it may be exposed to a hori zo n t a l
force of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds under
a high wind.
tion, with the enclosure rising with
the building. The floors immediate-
ly under the top will be enclosed
with panels extending between
columns and from floor to spandrel.
After the top enclosure has risen,
tarpaulins will be used to enclose
the first floor. This will permit easy
access to materials.
Methods and materials
The covering material for the en-
closure will be a single thickness of
nylon-reinforced polyethylene. Roof
panels will generally be fabricated
in 10- by 10-foot dimensions. Walls
of the top enclosure will be cove re d
with tarpaulins 14 feet high by 20
feet wide. On the ground floor, this
will permit closure with grade.
Above, the additional two feet will
be used to achieve a tight juncture
with spandrels of the floor below.
Enclosures in floors beneath the top
will measure 8 feet 8 inches by 18
feet 6 inches.
Framing will be supported by 4-
by 4-inch posts, 12 feet in length. On
the ground floor, these will be sup-
ported on 2-foot high blocks. On the
upper floor, the posts will rest on the
floor forming. Posts will be secured
at the top with 1- by 4-inch bracing
in both directions and diagonally.
This ceiling framing will support the
roof panels. Wall tarpaulins will be
attached to perimeter posts.
The upper enclosure will project
2 feet outside the columns, allowing
room to form and cast columns.
Lines of framing posts will be locat-
ed 12 feet-8 inches from the outside
and at 10-foot intervals in the interi-
or (see Figure 1).

Computing costs
The costs of materials discussed
above do not reflect all costs of en-
closed construction. Other costs are
incurred in erecting the enclosure
and dismantling, packaging, and
storing the enclosure materials. Fur-
t h e rm o re, if reuse of the enclosure
materials is possible, the cost of ma-
terials and fabrications charged to
the original job should be modified.

EXAMPLE
Compute enclosure costs for a
16-story building, 60 by 140 feet.
Column spacing is 20 feet in ei-
ther direction. The first story is
12 feet high; upper floors are 10
feet. Assume a placement rate of
one floor per week, and that
each floor requires protection for
four weeks.
Cost estimates for this building are
based on the construction of an en-
closure for the floor under construc-
Costs of Enclosure Elements Cost of panels, per floor..6,440 sq. ft. x $0.19
Tarpaulins (14x20 feet) = $1,225.00
Tarpaulin area = (16 x 20 + 8 x 12.7) x 14 By moving the lowermost enclosure on the day the up-
= 5,900 square feet per enclosure is jacked, three floors of panels will be re-
Lumber $ 1.60 quired. Hence, five uses are involved and 20 percent of
Polyethylene 17.60 the cost should be assigned per floor.
Nails and staples .05 Cost of panels, per floor . . $1,225.00 x 0.20. . $ 245.00
Labor, 2.87 hr. x $5.40 15.50 Cost, installing, removing and handling,
per floor 39 hr. x $4.10 160.00
Total $ 34.75
Total, per floor $ 405.00
Total 14' x 20' unit cost = $34.75
Cost per square foot = $ 0.125 Cost, per 15 floors $405.00 x 15 $6,075.00
Panels (10x14 feet) Summary: Enclosure costs $10,615.50
Lumber $ 2.48 Total floor area (including roof and
Polyethylene 9.13 basement), 18x 60x 140 151,500 sq. ft.
Nails and staples .13 Enclosure cost, per sq. ft.
Labor, 2.82 hr. x $5.40 15.25 $10,615.50/151,500 $ 0.07

Total $ 26.99
Total 10' x 14' unit cost = $26.99
Cost per square foot = $ 0.19

Cost of Upper Enclosure

Framing
Posts 1,680 bm x $0.17
Bracing, 2,500 lineal feet x $0.045
Labor, erection and dismantling:
Carpenter, 32 hr. x $5.40
Laborer, 26 hr. x $4.10
Total, framing
Polyethylene Members
Tarpaulins, 5,900 sq. ft. x $0.125
Roof panels, 9,520 sq. ft. x $0.19
Labor, installing and removing
Total, enclosures
Hoisting, 15 times
Total, top enclosure
Cost of First Floor Enclosure
Tarpaulin area = 4,870 sq. ft.
Tarpaulin cost, 4,870 sq. ft. x
$0.125 = $610.00
Assume 4 reuses, chargeable
to this job
Labor, installation and removal:
Carpenter, 11 hr. x $5.40
Laborer, 16 hr. x $4.10
Total, first floor
Cost of Typical Floor Enclosures (See figure 2)
Total panel area, per floor. .40 x 8.67 x 18.5
= 6,440 sq. f.t.
$ 285.00
112.50
173.00
107.00
$ 677.50
Figure 2—Dimwnsiona od typical wall panel
$ 738.00
1,810.00
164.00
If the structure costs, for example, $8.28 per square
$ 2,712.00 foot, this cost of enclosure represents 0.83 percent of the
$ 874.00 cost of the structure. If the structure costs $12.00 per
square foot, this represents 0.58 percent of the cost of the
$ 4,263.50 structure.
Some damage to polyethylene enclosure members
should be expected. This damage will be reduced signif-
icantly if reinforced polyethylene is used. It is expensive
in labor to repair or recover panels, but possible.
Panels included in this discussion were stiffened by di-
agonal bracing. Some contractors will prefer to use ply-
$ 152.00 wood gussets at joints.
Some contractors will want to extend the four- we e k
59.00 protection period on which these calculations are based.
66.00 The various trades will follow the erection of the struc-
ture for perhaps two months or longer. It will be quite
$ 277.00 feasible to protect these trades with the temporary en-
closures until windows are installed. In his case, addi-
tional panels will be required. The contractor’s estimate
should assign a portion of the costs of the enclosures to
this subsequent work.
 Naturally, labor use and labor costs will vary consider-
ably from area to area. For this reason, we have shown
hours of labor calculated for each step in the construc-
tion procedure, as well as labor rates used and quantities
of materials and unit prices. Any of these figures can be
readily varied to fit more closely the conditions existing
in the area where the project is to be built. The estimator,
however, will make his own determination of the costs of
winter protection which will be involved in the contrac-
tor’s bid for the project.
The added costs of cold weather construction, as indi-
cated above by the cost of enclosures, are moderate.
When these are compared with the advantages possible
through continuous winter operation, they appear even
more reasonable. Such extra advantages include the op-
portunity for the contractor to retain skilled workmen
while engaging them in profitable activity. Additional
advantages are reduced interest costs of construction
money caused by earlier completion, earlier occupancy,
and reduced overhead of the contractor.

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