Coming along good. Especially without a mixer
Back on the site today, the slab turned out well, it's gray and hard just like it is supposed to be.
A bit of back ground on this build.
I'm building this for my uncle so I am giving him the family discount so I can't bring in my usual flunkies, so most of it will be done as a one person build, I will have to have a bit of help with the trusses and roofing.
Today was all about the hard stuff,
Concrete block, 6x16x8 in this case
Morter mix
concrete mix
Up first was the joy of laying out approx. 50 of the blocks which were not in the original plan so no rebar was installed for them, once it was all laid out I had the joy of drilling 29 5/8 x 6 inch deep holes, BTW I love my bulldog went slick as snot. then it took no time at all to epoxy the rebar in.
personal note to self "you are not a mason"
Took a couple of hours but got all the block in straight square and level. took 7 50lb bags of morter mix.
Then the real fun started core filling all that block, I have forgotten how much work mixing 16 60 pound bags of concrete is, spoiled by having a mixer but I didn't have it for this job, big mistake.
Wrapped up about 7 pm nice 10 hour day.
So what was the 'original plan'? Epoxy in 2 day old concrete? Does that work?
Just asking because we don't get away with that out here in CA.
Having the day off after mixing all the mortar and concrete by hand was a good thing. I am sure your body appreciated the day off to recover.
I see you are installing siding on the walls. Will that be directing on the framing or are putting something in between? Possibly T111 or a plywood material?
Thanks
Good job man, I am in the midst of building my 24x24 , started the siding, I sometimes wonder why I didn't install T111 4x8 siding...but my vinyl is turning out pretty good for a first timer....
Moving right along..nothing boring about that

Looking great. Just some advice, make sure you keep up on staining the siding. I saved a couple bucks when I built my garage and used T-111. Almost 20 years later, the neglected siding is rotting off the garage in many places. It was only stained once, so I'm sure it would have been ok if kept up with. Good luck
This is LP smart siding a osb based product that has factory applied primer (baked on) that holds up very well in our damp climate.
It will get painted to match the house next summer.
Alright, I missed that part. What was your cost savings between that and siding? I have to replace mine and was curious.
Was this what you used? 3/8"? Will you get to paint it before winter?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/SmartSide-3-8-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Siding-Panel-27874/100055901
Hey Thumper, what are you using for inside lighting? Did you already cover this? I might have been sleeping in class....