Construction of Garage Mahal has begun!

Yeah, called the wind...

Got yourself some roof space on the new addition, any solar panels going there?

Saw some the other day that didn't even look like them.

great. more drama. Forklift delivering the foundation block discovered a septic system that I didn't know I had. Fortunately he was only startled when the lid collapsed and he was able to back his lift out of the hole. Somehow, he tried to blame Bonnie (my wife) for the situation when he contacted my builder! Funny. It wasn't anybody's fault and he only had a narrow access corridor due to the pile of stumps and roots on the edge of the access - he couldn't have driven anywhere else. Bonnie only asked him to not leave materials on the driveway so we can pull out but he claimed she was

coaching

him on where to put materials (like either of us have any idea where the guys needed the block, mortar and sand).

So, apparently my shop bathroom doesn't tie into the city sewer like the rest of the house - that was a little surprising. I'm fortunate on a couple of key points (besides nobody getting hurt) 1) the tank appears to be large enough to support the second bathroom upstairs (maybe even with a future shower should that be needed). 2) the tank is not under an area that will be paved with concrete but is in the middle of a small grassy area I was creating. 3) the drainfield did not cross the footers for the new building so I don't have to relocate it.

Are you going to Racine?

You're lucky. It could have been an old Hawaiian burial site which would mean years of delays, archaeologists doing a dig on your property, and being sued by every sovereignty group in the islands.

i think its a shyty turn of events, but glad it wont derail your plans.

glad no one was hurt. sounds like he deserved to fall in a little

no....but it's killing me.

My shop is open on the ends. I have mixed feelings about doors in a large shop in South Florida ventilation is important. It would cost an arm and a leg to cool a building like mine, then you would have to deal with the dust and chemicals so you don't blow yourself up.

Yeah, but if you went, not knowing what's going on with the construction would probably be worse.

I just saved myself a lot of headache by being here. Came home for lunch and I knew they were getting close to pouring the slab. I grabbed my camera, walked down the driveway and started watching the first of two concrete trucks back up (over my already busted septic tank...now the discharge pipe is certainly broken). I watched them hose down the chute to lubricate it for the concrete....saw the water dripping on the dirt....I thought dirt, water, concrete, moisture....moisture good for concrete cure. dirt.......moisture.......concrete.....CRAP! There's no vapor barrier!!!! As the guy has his hand on the dump valve from the truck I start screaming WAIT WAIT WAIT!!! Apparently, the

builder

didn't tell them they needed a vapor barrier. Had I gone to NA's in one year from now I would be wondering why my epoxy floor keeps blistering.

Fortunately for the builder, the concrete sub-contractor, and the concrete truck drivers (2 of them), they had the plastic in the truck and had it rolled out in about 4 minutes. Geesh. Every second I start to think I'm over-thinking everything I catch someone doing something stupid.

Wow no wire or expansion joint either. What psi concrete did you use ?

I was also surprised that there was no wire but I didn't think to put it in the contract and it was impossible to stop everything with the truck ready at the pour. We do have soil with a very high compaction - I'm hoping it's OK.

They did cut relief joints after finishing but I thought it too early. Lord, I dunno. If only you and Renee resided in SC!

Around here you have to have an inspection before the concrete is poured. Good luck with your builder if this is how it's starting,

The foundation did have to be inspected before anything was poured - and it was. This is a floating slab inside the concrete footer / block foundation - so it's not structural...it's a matter of it not cracking in an uncontrolled fashion over time.

Here in Louisiana (south), you've got to put some kind of reinforcement in the concrete otherwise you're screwed. Concrete WILL crack, the reinforcement will keep it together. Heck I put wire in my sidewalk! Good catch on the vapor barrier.

You would think that the building code would require it especially where you have freezing temps.

I poked around with some other folks I know that built garages in the area and found five I know. Three had floating slabs like this and none of them had wire reinforcement in the slab - none of them have experienced any issues with the slab and one of the structures is 12 years old. Y'all are making me nervous!

My short straw pole shows that the monolithic slabs seem to universally have structure in and around them.

When our house was built the slab for the garage and the basement were poured well after the framing and other stuff was done. When I had asked why; they had told me it will help with curing and keep the concrete from flaking.

I remember in the basement they had used wire that looked like chicken wire that was thicker and had bigger squares and in the garage used quarter inch

rebar

meshed out in 4

X 4

pattern.

But where I live, it gets cold and this may be the reason for it.

Keep us posted, I like the HGTV projects. Life hasn't been the same since

This Old House

is no longer available to us.

I wouldn't worry about it. Around here everything is built on sand not clay. Just not what some of us are used to seeing.

Or the DIY network.

We couldn't do anything on our sand without mesh to stop the eventual cracks from moving apart, I've got a mate that poured his verandah after the house slab about 6 years ago and there is now nearly an inch gap even though the verandah poles are bolted to the concrete.

Some of the new slab on grade concrete mixtures today add some kind fibre or wire fibre to increase contraction/control joints spacing and can exceed an old commercial standard of 20 ft. o.c. If the subgrade is compacted properly or moisture density is off is another cause of cracking, but appears inspection covered that base.

What about topsoil under a concrete drive? I was surprised when they pushed three large piles of topsoil back where the drive is going to go. The moved and moved-back dirt is probably 2 to almost 3' deep in places and I wasn't here to see how much, if any, attention they paid to compacting it. I had expected them to haul it off and bring in fill. I don't yet know what the builder intends to do with that but I've got some time to make my case about that.

They're supposed to start framing tomorrow and they expect to get the 2nd story floor system in....I'm not even two weeks into this yet.

With sand we keep a sprinkler on it for days on end, water forces the air bubbles to the surface compacting the soil. Would that work with your soil?

I would be concerned about top soil under my drive way. Especially more than 6

freshly put. I don't know what soil you have but even then more than 6

needs to go back in

lifts

not more than 6" at a time and compacted to 90 to 95% of original (of recommended density material) Check this out for basic information on the subject:

http://www.concrete-catalog.com/soil_compaction.html

A proctor test will determine the compaction/density of the soil you have. Might want to do that to see is what you have can actually be compacted sufficiently for concrete overlaying.

BTW, I did stay at a Holiday Inn once...

Good luck,

And she's up! (yes, the grass has been neglected for a bit)

http://www.teamseacats.com for more

When the Taj Mahal was finished the emperor chopped of the hands of the builders so that they could never build something as beautiful again.
You knew this right? <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />

Concerning the built-in Vac.

I have used both. There is no comparison in the suction between a good built-in and a portable. I use a 15 amp 230 volt built-in with centrifugal filtration and an outside vent. It roughs out vacuum bags in seconds. Also if you do anything that produces any toxic or semi-toxic vapor, it's very good to exhaust outside sometimes.

However, never use a built-in when grinding something that produces white sparks, don't ask.

Pictures? <img src="<>/sick.gif" alt="sick" title="sick" height="15" width="15" />

Looks good.