The Concrete Underground

[noelalford]

good call on the lights down to the boat. I had solar lights from the house to the boat house and along the walkway along the seawall. Best improvement EVER. Being able to walk to the water without fooling around with lights is awesome. Being able to walk up from the boat without turning on lights is perfect for getting home late.

 

[ConCretin]

You know it's going to be hard work when you start the placement with wheelbarrows;



and buckets;



Luckily we had plenty of help. Still, when you have 12 cy to place in a dozen separate locations several of which are stairs, 'plenty' is just about right. Especially when you want to place a stiff mix into the aforementioned stairs and you have a flat chute.



The benefit of all the help is that we were working several locations at once;



Why yes, that is a come-along hooked to an AC wall pulling on a strap extended thru an open door. When your stair forms, which have been sitting for 6 months give a little, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. In this case we were able to take a 1" bow out of the front stair riser forms.



Meanwhile the finishing crew carried on;



The garage entry aprons were the last thing we tackled;



All in all, it was a very good day and things went pretty well. Here's a few shots of the finished concrete. The mantle and hearth;



The main entry landing;



Something I haven't mentioned. A 6" pad for the garage bath (foreground) and compressor closet. This was necessitated by inadequate plumbing clearance.



And finally, the cantilevered concrete stairs;



I can't say this is the last concrete placement but it was an important one. It opens up a bunch of other work and allows me to do a much needed site clean up.

I'll strip most of the forms this weekend but will wait at least a couple weeks on the cantilevered steps. Even though my suppliers mix usually comes close to 28 day strength in 7, I'll wait a bit longer before placing any loads on them.

 

[signcrafter]

Very nice. I love reading about the issues that come up and the solutions!

 

[LCG]

how long till you remove the forming on the stairs?

 

[NUTTSGT]

All your regular concrete guys ?

 

[luke7734]

You doing a wall mount unit for the garage radiant setup in the compressor closet / bath? And just curious. Did you put some kind of thermal break in for your garage door skirts? You'll be heating them with the pad anyway if not.. or just enough to melt the snow and make your garage doors freeze to the pad.. (I ran the ends of my loops under the doors so they would keep the snow melted and doors unfrozen).

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished product stairs!

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[ConCretin]

how long till you remove the forming on the stairs

I'll wait a couple weeks. Typically you want 70% of design strength before removing supports from elevated concrete. I should easily have that in 7 days but I've got too much invested to take a chance. Probably wait as long as possible before we actually start using them. I gotta admit though that the curiosity to see them without the shoring is killing me.

All your regular concrete guys ?

It's a subcontractor that we use a lot. They've been on site before. After looking at the job, he wanted to make sure everything went well so he sent me a small army. I had a couple of my guys there to straighten forms. By 11 am, everyone was gone but me and a couple finishers.

You doing a wall mount unit for the garage radiant setup in the compressor closet / bath? And just curious. Did you put some kind of thermal break in for your garage door skirts?

There will actually be two separate rooms (I waited to frame the dividing wall until I placed the concrete pad). You access the compressor closet from the 2 bay garage and the water closet you access from the shop.

The radiant manifold, which is supplied by the house boiler shares space with the compressor. An exhaust fan will also be located in this space.

I installed 2" of rigid insulation between the heated slab and the aprons. It will be covered by a glue down PVC sill seal. I don't want to heat the aprons during our long Maine winters.

 

[Capstone]

Thanks for the update and all the photos. I am one of, I am sure, many subscribers to this thread who are always excited for more updates from your truly fantastic dream build project. It's not enough to just say we appreciate your concrete ninja skills; I think most of us would jump at the chance to see this home in person given the chance and to shake your hand. I think you have inspired many of us to take on more challenging projects for ourselves and that's the really awesome part in all of this.

 

[brosher]

Love all the detail work! Can't wait to see the stairs and mantle.

 

[gotfromfrance]

superbe !
really nice work !

 

[Alexbn921]

Looking good. It would drive my crazy waiting for the stairs to dry. Thanks for continuing to share your amazing work with us.

 

[McKay]

I'll wait a couple weeks. Typically you want 70% of design strength before removing supports from elevated concrete. I should easily have that in 7 days but I've got too much invested to take a chance. Probably wait as long as possible before we actually start using them. I gotta admit though that the curiosity to see them without the shoring is killing me.



It's a subcontractor that we use a lot. They've been on site before. After looking at the job, he wanted to make sure everything went well so he sent me a small army. I had a couple of my guys there to straighten forms. By 11 am, everyone was gone but me and a couple finishers.



There will actually be two separate rooms (I waited to frame the dividing wall until I placed the concrete pad). You access the compressor closet from the 2 bay garage and the water closet you access from the shop.

The radiant manifold, which is supplied by the house boiler shares space with the compressor. An exhaust fan will also be located in this space.

I installed 2" of rigid insulation between the heated slab and the aprons. It will be covered by a glue down PVC sill seal. I don't want to heat the aprons during our long Maine winters.

Do you have a link to the PVC sill you are going to use? I have been looking for a product and have yet to find something I really like for this.

 

[-Brent-]

JM, the rebar does all the work. I like these stairs because they demonstrate the properties and capacity of reinforced concrete in a mind blowing way.

The rebar at the top of the tread is in tension, which as you know, steel excels at. The bottom of the tread is in compression, which is where concrete shines. As long as both materials do their job the treads stay put.

What type of load does a set-up like this have? I imagine it's heavier than I assume but after seeing the process, I'd think about it every time I walked on it.

It looks as if there's a french cleat-type of angle/recess on the female portion that receives the stair. Is that more for finish or does it actually help weight bearing?

This thread has taught me so much. It's build like this that should have a TV crew documenting it.

Hmmm, maybe you need to build a vacation home and have it documented. Haha.

Also, it should be mentioned. You've got a fantastic crew. Nice work on all fronts.

 

[Woogeroo]

fun and interesting update.



-W

 

[Audicon]

It looks as if there's a french cleat-type of angle/recess on the female portion that receives the stair. Is that more for finish or does it actually help weight bearing?
.

The answer to your question is here

 

[ConCretin]

Thank you all for your generous comments. It's always nice to hear from long time lurkers and those that come across the thread and weigh in.

Do you have a link to the PVC sill you are going to use? I have been looking for a product and have yet to find something I really like for this.

I'd like to use this one;

http://www.elitegaragefloors.com/solid-aluminum-threshold-6-w-x-18-4-l/

but it's a bit pricey so I might have to settle for this one;

http://www.elitegaragefloors.com/xtreme-weather-guard-6-wide-xl-overhead-door-threshold-18-kit/

I need a 6" wide seal to span the 2" rigid and have enough surface to attach it.

What type of load does a set-up like this have? I imagine it's heavier than I assume but after seeing the process, I'd think about it every time I walked on it.

It looks as if there's a french cleat-type of angle/recess on the female portion that receives the stair. Is that more for finish or does it actually help weight bearing?

Hey Brent. If I remember correctly, my engineer told me that code required him to design for a 350 lb load applied at the end of the tread.

The little bevel in the foam was something I conjured up to increase the bearing surface of the tread where it 'presses' against the concrete core of the ICF wall. I'm not sure if it makes much difference but it made sense to me conceptually.

 

[TwoBytes]

I've been reading GJ for years, and now join the many others that have signed up to make their first post in this thread.

I have read through the whole thread over the last few weeks, and I've really enjoyed it!

I've always been interested in construction, but it was my uncle that got me really interested in concrete. He works in commercial concrete too, specifically oil, gas and mining.

I got really interested when he was working on a big Natural Gas project in Norway. He managed a team that built the concrete shells for the gas tanks in the processing plant.

I really don't want to take any focus off your amazing house, but I thought this audience might be interested in my uncle's project that got me so interested in this concrete stuff.

He built four concrete tanks in freezing arctic conditions. The two LNG tanks are nearly 50 metres high and 74 metres in diameter. The LPG and condensate tanks are slightly smaller.

The walls were formed with constantly moving "slip-forms", that moved up at a constant rate of 2 metres every 24 hours, so there are no seams in the walls. The walls are also post-tensioned to give them extra strength (1,650 tonnes of reinforcing steel).

Here's a pic of the finished tanks...

And here's a little crane for scale...

LLWillysfan, thanks again for taking the time to document your project mate, I'm really looking forward to more updates!

---
If anybody is interested in more details, the plant is the Snøhvit Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Export Terminal, Melkøya Island, Norway, near Hammerfest.

It was a $5.3bn project and the plant processes 4.3 million tonnes of LNG (5.6 billion cubic metres) per year.

ref. http://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/snohvit-lng/

 

[tacostand]

Thank you all for your generous comments. It's always nice to hear from long time lurkers and those that stumble across the thread and weigh in.

Hey Brent. If I remember correctly, my engineer told me that code required him to design for a 350 lb load applied at the end of the tread.

The little bevel in the foam was something I conjured up to increase the bearing surface of the tread where it 'presses' against the concrete core of the ICF wall. I'm not sure if it makes much difference but it made sense to me conceptually.

I'm going to hazard a guess that while the notch certainly won't hurt, it isn't going to make a (material) improvement to the 'engineering/engineered value' of the stair.
You may have to have a consistent taper from the outside edge of the underside of the tread to the lower point of the notch you made- in order to see any improvement in the compressive strength number.
I'm a carpenter and not an engineer so it's just a guess on my part.

Doug, thank you SO much for this thread and for the detailed effort to give all of us so much great insight into your build. I've been following since the first post on the first page.

I'm sure I speak for a great many on this board who feel that you've set an incredibly high standard for yourself, met it again and again, and have built something really special that you're going to get years of enjoyment out of.

Best Regards,
Dave

 

[ConCretin]

I really don't want to take any focus off your amazing house, but I thought this audience might be interested in my uncle's project that got me so interested in this concrete stuff.

No worries TwoBytes. That looks like an amazing project. I always wanted my own tower crane. Thanks for sharing and also for your comments.

I'm going to hazard a guess that while the notch certainly won't hurt, it isn't going to make a (material) improvement to the 'engineering/engineered value' of the stair.

You may have to have a consistent taper from the outside edge of the underside of the tread to the lower point of the notch you made- in order to see any improvement in the compressive strength number.
I'm a carpenter and not an engineer so it's just a guess on my part.

I think you are probably right, Dave. It was one of those 'what the hell, it can't hurt' things. And by the way, carpenters sometimes make better engineers than engineers do. Glad to have you with us.

 

[fouroheight68]

The garage entry aprons were the last thing we tackled;

Looks great, but have your crew wear the proper PPE when finishing/handling concrete Gloves and glasses at least!

 

[luke7734]

Looks great, but have your crew wear the proper PPE when finishing/handling concrete Gloves and glasses at least!

Lol... This made me laugh. .


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[ConCretin]

Looks great, but have your crew wear the proper PPE when finishing/handling concrete Gloves and glasses at least!

Lol... This made me laugh. .

At least I didn't get called for rebar caps again.

 

[slickgt1]

Lol... This made me laugh. .


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Ahahaha me too. Actually more of a WTF.

 

[fouroheight68]

Ahahaha me too. Actually more of a WTF.

Yeah, total WTF! Concrete burns are no joke. I do this for a living, ouch.

 

[ConCretin]

Yeah, total WTF! Concrete burns are no joke. I do this for a living, ouch.

four-o, these guys do this everyday - they know enough to avoid concrete burns. You'll also notice the the guys in the vicinity of the ******** are wearing safety glasses. I know because I'm one of em.

 

[luke7734]

Haha.. let's not start that again.. Did you get your pendulum flag pole drawings done up yet? I'm awaiting a (one up... )

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[ConCretin]

Luke, I know when I'm beat. I'm not gonna get in a flag pole measuring contest with you.

 

[mike_81]

Doug, you could always add "some safety guards were removed for the purposes of documentation" like all the how-to TV shows do... lol.

being a safety professional myself, i doubt there is much risk in concrete jumping out of the form and into your eye.

 

[TimRaleigh]

Here's a little sketch showing what I came up with. I figured I could fab up a frame out of 3 x 3 angle to replace a section of stringer.

Very creative solution. Looks great.

I'm using a similar technique for some cantilevered stairs to the Guest Rm.
They'll look something like this

They look very cool.

Thanks for the updates, very interesting and educational...still waiting to see that Cdn. kitchen

Tim

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'll wait a couple weeks. Typically you want 70% of design strength before removing supports from elevated concrete. I should easily have that in 7 days but I've got too much invested to take a chance. Probably wait as long as possible before we actually start using them. I gotta admit though that the curiosity to see them without the shoring is killing me.

In my mind, I'm conjuring up some vision of Doug waiting on his stairs to cure, much like a little kid at Christmas time in some demented Norman Rockwell painting.

 

[fouroheight68]

four-o, these guys do this everyday - they know enough to avoid concrete burns. You'll also notice the the guys in the vicinity of the ******** are wearing safety glasses. I know because I'm one of em.

I'm glad you're posting on here but let's not sweat the small stuff. Now, if you want to bust my balls for rebar caps, I won't put up a fight.

Awesome project, thank you for sharing updates, not trying to bust your balls - You obviously know what you're doing!

 

[ConCretin]

Awesome project, thank you for sharing updates, not trying to bust your balls - You obviously know what you're doing!

No worries four-o. A little constructive criticism never hurt anybody. Welcome to the thread.

 

[ConCretin]

In my mind, I'm conjuring up some vision of Doug waiting on his stairs to cure, much like a little kid at Christmas time in some demented Norman Rockwell painting.

I was watching the stairs cure when I heard the mailman coming

 

[Луноход]

Ah, it's great that you are here, Willys))). Can you please talk about the septic system you are planning to install if you haven't already. I've search the thread and I don't recall seeing any photographs of it

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've deleted a few posts to get this thread back on topic. The OP has been asked about the rebar caps already, over a year ago, the subject came up. He remedied the situation at the time. Whether or not one of his crews has a lapse of judgement or memory, that's on the guy in charge at the site, the OP. He knows the deal and so do the adults that work for him.

Every time somebody sees an uncapped piece of rebar, we're not going to drag the guy through the wet concrete. This has been a very informative thread to many (top ten in views on GJ) and Doug has been more than happy to answer almost everybody's questions along the way. There's no reason to ruin a awesome thread with a ******* match drama about rebar caps.

Thanks for the cooperation ladies and gentlemen.

 

[1969]

i've deleted a few posts to get this thread back on topic. The op has been asked about the rebar caps already, over a year ago, the subject came up. He remedied the situation at the time. Whether or not one of his crews has a lapse of judgement or memory, that's on the guy in charge at the site, the op. He knows the deal and so do the adults that work for him.

Every time somebody sees an uncapped piece of rebar, we're not going to drag the guy through the wet concrete. This has been a very informative thread to many (top ten in views on gj) and doug has been more than happy to answer almost everybody's questions along the way. There's no reason to ruin a awesome thread with a ******* match drama about rebar caps.

Thanks for the cooperation ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!!!

 

[Mr onetwo]

Hey LL, the stairs look awesome!!!This winter has been brutal and you must be glad to get going again!Here's hoping we get some dry weather in May.

 

[ConCretin]

I've deleted a few posts to get this thread back on topic.

Thanks Eric. I probably brought it on myself by bringing up the issue in a weak attempt at humor. Shoulda known better. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Hey LL, the stairs look awesome!!!This winter has been brutal and you must be glad to get going again!Here's hoping we get some dry weather in May.

Thanks. It has been brutal hasn't it. I just hope summer falls on a weekend this year.

 

[OHSCrifle]

just hope summer falls on a weekend this year.

Now that's funny...

 

[Mr onetwo]

It's been scheduled...it's Friday, June 13th I have until then to build the gallows and hang myself!