Sunday, March 29, 2009

The long and winding... rebar

We try to build a rebar cage for a column in situ with a fab-form fast-tube but without any instructions - at least on day 1 (Saturday). We start building the rebar cage with uprights tied to the rebar coming out of the footing, and with pre-coiled sections to make the cage
Seems easy enough, and up we go.
Adjusting the coil spacing by hand.
Up and over to slide it on - the whole edifice is really shaky - no bracing at all.
E tying the cage to the uprights.

Next day after finding some instructions - not comprehensive - but better than naught.

The full cage with the bracing poles for the fast-tube. You can't tear the fabric; the reason for the funny hat - to stop the ends of the rebar tearing the tube as we fed it over - from the top of a ladder.
In place
The tube has a "tab" [flap] that is stapled to the upright brace, and another brace is then screwed to it to sandwich the flap. Then ya just fill it with concrete and, voila, a column to support the garage floor and the cars.

The back end of a hail storm we needed to take shelter from - weather from the north today.
The column looks so insignificant in the middle of the garage basement.
Mary's Peak shrouded in cloud - it snowed up there all day.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Details details details

Closer again to pouring the first concrete in the walls, but the little details need to be taken care of... Like bracing the places where blocks were cut-to-fit and one side doesn't have the tongue and groove. The braces are screwed into the internal steel furring strips embedded in the styrofoam - it's easier to brace with plywood as you can see later.

Inside
& outside
Elizabeth's really fiddly bit - the angled buck for the laundry chute, it takes a lot to cut the blocks because you need to cut through the steel lattice and furring strips. Thank goodness for the Milwaukee 28 volt cordless sawzall.

More braces on the opposite corner of the garage

Who's this ? Not been seen here for months... Claimed to be teaching or something or other http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/deliciousnessw09/


The styrofoam itself is easier to cut, just a handsaw needed
The vertical and horizontal braces need to go into the window and door bucks to stop them collapsing when the concrete is poured. They all need to come back OUT later...
Looks like a building site...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009

Birthday girl

Time for her favorite treat

To make up for days like this...

Sunday, March 15, 2009

the thorn in the flower

Getting closer to a big milestone - still a lot of fiddly bits to get done before it is ready to pourThe thorn - some more dirt has fallen in. No damage but it has started to [really] rain again and we are on tenderhooks hoping to get no more falling dirt before we get the walls "set in concrete" [pun intended]

Sunday, March 8, 2009

All in all, it's just another brick in the wall...

A sequence of block placenent

What would you do if I sang out of tune ?

We get by with a little help from our friends...

The old and the "new" - our "new" 1999 F-150 pickup to replace the 1986 F-250 that, despite a sound motor and drive train and tow hitch etc, has enough problems with the carburetor and the pollution gear leaking and the subsequent explosive backfiring from the internal fuel leaks in the carbie, that it's not worth fixing it... It's been a stalwart beast.More hidden progress, our friend John helped E get all that new vertical rebar in place the day before this. It's what ties the basement walls to the walls and floors above them. E is directing our friend Ben (of the Norwegian surf trip) where to put that piece of styrofoam block.
John at my 50th party in '07; Newport ORThe '99 was put to work within a couple of hours of buying it.
Happy smiling faces...
The back wall where E is is up to the level where the basement ceiling/main floor will be installed
A little different?Ben and E with the perpetual "doing something with rebar"...