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