If you are looking for a business with a strong foundation,making concrete blocks may be just what you want.Concrete blocks are a basic commodity of the building trade. They are used everywhere and will always be needed.Concrete products of all kinds are in strong demand everywhere that building is going on.They will never go out of style like a here today gone tomorrow widget.They are used to build everything from small back yard projects to large buildings.If you are in the cement block business you have a market everywhere in North America and in many other areas around the world.

If you are looking for a good business,which you can start from home at low cost, making concrete blocks and other concrete products is a great opportunity.Starting with a part time business,using hand made molds,you can get going with as little as a few hundred dollars for supplies and materials.You can operate out of your garage then as business grows and you need more room you can expand to rented premises.The secret is to keep your costs as low as possible to start with.Too many businesses fail in the first year because they spend too much money unecessarily on rents and equipment.Start with the necessities and add more as you grow in profitability.

Concrete products of all kinds are obviously heavy and bulky.To transport them for long distances is costly.As a local manufacturer you can supply these products to customers in your area for a lot less than a distant manufacturer can.Your savings in cost of transportation allow you to price your products very competitively.As a small operation working from your garage you have little overhead cost.No rent,no staff wages mean low production cost.Again this allows you to price very competitively and still make an excellent profit.

The only things needed to start up are sheet metal and plywood to make the molds. You can obtain plans with instructions on how to do this.To manufacture concrete blocks you will need Portland cement,gravel,sand and water. Your local building supply store or lumberyard can supply these items.

One man can make 100 concrete blocks in a days work with hand made molds. You simply fill the molds with the appropriate concrete mix then turn the blocks out to dry.This is pretty simple.Then as your business expands you will want to acquire a concrete block making machine which can turn out many more blocks per day than you can with hand molds.

You can buy concrete block making machines from various sources.They are very expensive and do a very good job.If you can afford it go ahead and buy one.It will greatly increase your productivity and will pay for itself.There is a less costly way however.You can build your own machine!Used auto parts and a few odds and ends along with some sheet metal are all you need for this.Plans are available and it is not a difficult project.If you have welding skills you can do this part of the work yourself,otherwise a local welding shop can do it for you at fairly low cost.

Making your own machine is not really difficult if you have some mechanical skills. Your home built machine will make 800 cement blocks per day.A smaller,very simple hand operated machine can make 200 blocks per day and is quite easy to build.Operating these machines efficiently is a two person job.One worker runs the machine and the other takes the blocks from it and stacks them on racks to dry.Obviously you will also need sufficient space to stack hundreds of blocks.

When you are in the concrete block making business it is a no brainer to also turn out other concrete products which are in demand.Garden ornaments.concrete bricks,sundials,bird baths,window boxes,garden furniture,patio slabs are everywhere in high demand.You can make all of them from readily available plans with instructions.In time your small business which started in your garage can become a very large business and will make you a lot more money than you can hope to earn at most jobs.