The Concrete Underground
- Thread starter ConCretin
- Start date
holy buttcrack! (yeah, sorry, that picture is stuck in my brain, infecting it as we speak..
)
very happy to see you got the financing working and restarted the creation of your...well...overkilla-villa?
you know, i had two big revelations. like you, when i saw all those steel beams i wondered if you had any mental sanity left in you. now i know you don't. which is great!
plus it made me realise the dimensions of your "little" project. went from "oh, look, nice, some guy building a concrete house. looks interesting enough, i'll follow this" to "christ...this looks like he could build a complete spa complex, with a factory on the side".
my second revelation: i realised that i'm actually browsing a forum for GARAGE builds. i was (not kidding) under the illusion i was on just another architecture site - seeing as i'm currently only following this thread due to lack of time. yeah, your build thread is awesome like that.
you'll blow people away with your villa and once your garage is done, you might have rendered some people unable to speak or think as they freeze in awe. i am sure you will cause a lot of jealousy-tears in the years to come...
now i'm just not saying that for laughs, i am partly hoping this will motivate you as well, it must be hard at times to keep going. i do sincerely hope that you will not face any big problems moving forward, that all puzzle pieces will fall just into their place. so all the best to you two, the crew and who else might be involved.
p.s.: you have my eternal gratitude for keeping up with such amazing updates and with so many pictures. and while i often don't have a clue what you're explaining, that is such a great trait of you - to explain so much and answer pretty much any question. you should get some reward for that.
)very happy to see you got the financing working and restarted the creation of your...well...overkilla-villa?
you know, i had two big revelations. like you, when i saw all those steel beams i wondered if you had any mental sanity left in you. now i know you don't. which is great!
plus it made me realise the dimensions of your "little" project. went from "oh, look, nice, some guy building a concrete house. looks interesting enough, i'll follow this" to "christ...this looks like he could build a complete spa complex, with a factory on the side".my second revelation: i realised that i'm actually browsing a forum for GARAGE builds. i was (not kidding) under the illusion i was on just another architecture site - seeing as i'm currently only following this thread due to lack of time. yeah, your build thread is awesome like that.
you'll blow people away with your villa and once your garage is done, you might have rendered some people unable to speak or think as they freeze in awe. i am sure you will cause a lot of jealousy-tears in the years to come...
now i'm just not saying that for laughs, i am partly hoping this will motivate you as well, it must be hard at times to keep going. i do sincerely hope that you will not face any big problems moving forward, that all puzzle pieces will fall just into their place. so all the best to you two, the crew and who else might be involved.
p.s.: you have my eternal gratitude for keeping up with such amazing updates and with so many pictures. and while i often don't have a clue what you're explaining, that is such a great trait of you - to explain so much and answer pretty much any question. you should get some reward for that.
Well, I'm finally back from my road trip - got in late last night. My plan to have one of the guys take photos daily and upload them to PB so I could do updates from the road didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. My otherwise capable foreman kept forgetting to take pictures and depended on his very busy 17 year old daughter to do the computer work. In hindsight, it really wasn't a very good plan.
I've recovered my camera and will take some progress pictures tomorrow. Here's a few of the images I found in the camera's memory. In my last update Maine was experiencing a winter storm and this was the result;
After a day of digging out, the guys got back to work. They started running the ICFs from the opposite corner. This area will eventually become my 28x28 work shop area.
What you are seeing here is the 1 1/2" plywood buck over the kitchen windows, which is supported by the shoring and a plywood deck. The little things sticking up are 1/2" anchor bolts that will anchor the buck to the concrete beam we'll pour over the openings.
The bucks for the smaller openings are built in one piece but for larger openings, we have to install them in pieces.
Here's a shot of the roof openings for the two 5x5 pyramid skylights. One in the Master Bedroom and one in the Dressing Rm. I know, I know, living in this thing is going to be like living in a fish bowl. That's why we're on 25 wooded acres with no neighbors within 2,000 feet.
I went out to the site today (before I got my camera back) and was pretty pleased with the progress the guys achieved considering the weather. We should be set up for some concrete placements next week including the ICF and AC walls in the garage and the lower LiteDeck roof for the house.
I'm going back tomorrow to install some plumbing vent lines and will grab some photos for another update.
I've recovered my camera and will take some progress pictures tomorrow. Here's a few of the images I found in the camera's memory. In my last update Maine was experiencing a winter storm and this was the result;
After a day of digging out, the guys got back to work. They started running the ICFs from the opposite corner. This area will eventually become my 28x28 work shop area.
What you are seeing here is the 1 1/2" plywood buck over the kitchen windows, which is supported by the shoring and a plywood deck. The little things sticking up are 1/2" anchor bolts that will anchor the buck to the concrete beam we'll pour over the openings.
The bucks for the smaller openings are built in one piece but for larger openings, we have to install them in pieces.
Here's a shot of the roof openings for the two 5x5 pyramid skylights. One in the Master Bedroom and one in the Dressing Rm. I know, I know, living in this thing is going to be like living in a fish bowl. That's why we're on 25 wooded acres with no neighbors within 2,000 feet.
I went out to the site today (before I got my camera back) and was pretty pleased with the progress the guys achieved considering the weather. We should be set up for some concrete placements next week including the ICF and AC walls in the garage and the lower LiteDeck roof for the house.
I'm going back tomorrow to install some plumbing vent lines and will grab some photos for another update.
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We actually did a full size template of the 75 degree corner in the shop that we used to build the form panels. We used the same template to build a jig to weld up the ties.
you have my eternal gratitude for keeping up with such amazing updates and with so many pictures. and while i often don't have a clue what you're explaining, that is such a great trait of you - to explain so much and answer pretty much any question. you should get some reward for that.
Thanks for all your comments faxij. As I'm typing I often worry that folks won't have any idea what I'm talking about. It must be very difficult to follow along from afar. I hope everyone will feel free to ask for more info on anything that interests them.
As for rewards; the fact that I'm fortunate enough to able to build this home and others are interested enough to follow along are reward enough for me.
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Vernmotor
Well-known member
Some times I wish we had a index of what some of the words mean LOL. Like "buck" you use that word alot ? "ICF" I get the idea of what it is, but what does that stand for ?
Sounds like you get this part but ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Form, which is the name for the concrete filled styrofoam blocks we're using for some of the perimeter forms.
In ICF terminology, a buck is a wood 'frame' that creates the rough opening into which windows or doors will be installed. Though this looks more like a door, it's actually a window buck.
The internal 2x4 bracing will be removed but the double thick plywood frame will stay in place, secured by anchor bolts into the concrete. The one piece bucks do double duty by forming the bottom of the concrete header beams that are poured with the concrete roof.
On the larger openings, we erect shoring to support the roof beams and install the sides and tops of the buck individually. Here's a pic of the jamb sections for a large opening.
We'll install the header section in the concrete beam across the top of the opening similar to this one. We still need to put up an edge form but once we place the concrete roof and strip the shoring from underneath, the plywood I circled will remain in place to act as the top of the buck over the windows.
The buck provides a surface to secure the window in the opening as well as to screw drywall on the inside and trim on the outside.
Thanks for asking vernmotor - I hope this helps.
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Thedoc14
Well-known member
Bring on the concrete floors,, dont forget to write your name in the wet cement. hahahaha
Vernmotor
Well-known member
Yes that's helps 
thank you for taking the time to explain it. I am a 56 year old Auto tech. been one for 30-35 years. I know nothing about concrete.. I did build my own stick garage. Once again many thanks for taking the time to post all this !
thank you for taking the time to explain it. I am a 56 year old Auto tech. been one for 30-35 years. I know nothing about concrete.. I did build my own stick garage. Once again many thanks for taking the time to post all this !Well, my confusion is above all else in the units. I am not used to inches and US-standard sizes (2x4 for example) are not familiar to me really. However it's not like I'd be able to apply what you're sharing 1:1 anyways. I am (or think/hope I am
) clever enough to understand what you are doing, how you are doing it and in some cases, why ("overkill"). So that goes a very long way.Eventually, my dream is to build a home from steel and bricks and/or concrete. Once I get to that point, I'll probably have a lot less questions, thanks to you
Concerning that reward-idea, I was more thinking of a nice custom forum title (mad hatter, the concrete nutter, along those lines) or something like that. Or maybe a nice bottle of whiskey, should I ever get the pleasure of visiting. If you like whiskey, that is.
Got back to the site today and took a few pics. Here's a view of the ICF and AC work in the garage;
This is the other side of the AC wall with rebar and ties in place. You can see the rebar piers we are installing where ever a roof beam will bear.
This is the second floor cantilever in the front of the house. You can see another 'buck' section with anchor bolts that will anchor the top of the 10'8" glass wall that makes up the front of the house. The back to back 4x4 angles support the concrete beam that supports the glass wall above. The holes permit rebar to pass through.
While I was there I got started on roughing in some plumbing vent piping. I'm sure you're not expecting to see a hole saw. You're right - for a steel and concrete house you need a plasma cutter.
It was a little tight but I was able to get the torch into the void between the LiteDeck and the steel.
The vents must be contained within the 11" composite roof structure so we need to go through some steel. The 3' trunk line needs to go through the web of a W10x33. It will eventually run up to the roof in the chase behind the U shaped concrete wall.
Here's where the 2" vent must pass through the flange of the same beam to vent the back to back lavs in the water closets.
Next I chowdered out some foam to allow the piping to run within the LiteDeck. We still have to install the 2" high hat, which increases the depth of the foam to 8" between the integral beams resulting in a 3" thick slab. By cutting the vent piping in a bit, it will only intrude a 1/2" or so into the 3" concrete depth.
Here's a shot of some of the piping in place. You can see the 2" line that drops thru the beam
Here's another view
In case you're worried that I've compromised the strength of the beam, keep in mind that we're encasing the beam in concrete. I'll add a couple #5 bars on either side, which will more than make up for any loss of strength.
I've still got some more vent piping to run but it will have to wait a day or so. There's really no owner's manual for this stuff so I'm figuring it out as we go.
This is the other side of the AC wall with rebar and ties in place. You can see the rebar piers we are installing where ever a roof beam will bear.
This is the second floor cantilever in the front of the house. You can see another 'buck' section with anchor bolts that will anchor the top of the 10'8" glass wall that makes up the front of the house. The back to back 4x4 angles support the concrete beam that supports the glass wall above. The holes permit rebar to pass through.
While I was there I got started on roughing in some plumbing vent piping. I'm sure you're not expecting to see a hole saw. You're right - for a steel and concrete house you need a plasma cutter.
It was a little tight but I was able to get the torch into the void between the LiteDeck and the steel.
The vents must be contained within the 11" composite roof structure so we need to go through some steel. The 3' trunk line needs to go through the web of a W10x33. It will eventually run up to the roof in the chase behind the U shaped concrete wall.
Here's where the 2" vent must pass through the flange of the same beam to vent the back to back lavs in the water closets.
Next I chowdered out some foam to allow the piping to run within the LiteDeck. We still have to install the 2" high hat, which increases the depth of the foam to 8" between the integral beams resulting in a 3" thick slab. By cutting the vent piping in a bit, it will only intrude a 1/2" or so into the 3" concrete depth.
Here's a shot of some of the piping in place. You can see the 2" line that drops thru the beam
Here's another view
In case you're worried that I've compromised the strength of the beam, keep in mind that we're encasing the beam in concrete. I'll add a couple #5 bars on either side, which will more than make up for any loss of strength.
I've still got some more vent piping to run but it will have to wait a day or so. There's really no owner's manual for this stuff so I'm figuring it out as we go.
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Here's another view
How much concrete cover will there be on top of the W10 (where the drain pipe hanger bolt pokes up)?
With a pretty decent weather forecast for the week, we should be able to pick up the pace. We're a bit behind schedule and I don't want to lose any more ground. Fortunately the guys got off to a good start.
Up on the roof, we got the forms for the two skylights in position.
The forms are 24" tall. After we place the 11" roof, we'll form up a 13" concrete curb around the outside of the plywood frame to lift the skylight above the roof surface.
We removed some foam to create an 11" thick beam on either side of the opening. The span is only 9' but the beams will have to cary the weight of the roof deck between them plus the weight of the curb and skylight itself. We'll reinforce the beam with three #6 bars to ensure it's up to the task.
In my last update I mentioned a 'high hat'. This term refers to a 2" piece of foam that is placed over the standard 6" LiteDeck billets to create a total foam thickness of 8" resulting in a 3" slab thickness.
This pic shows high hats installed in a narrow bay on the end of the building. We cut the high hats a few inches shorter than the planks to allow extra room for the concrete to get into the voids.
Meanwhile out in the garage, work continues on the ICF.
We're adding a return on the jamb bucks to provide a surface for mounting the overhead door tracks. We wrapped the bottom of the Advantech plywood with Vycor flashing for some additional moisture protection.
Work on the AC wall continues as well. We started closing the wall by installing the custom inside corner form for the 75 degree corner. I 'squared off' the inside corner to create a flat spot for the tie to rest and avoid having to form a tight point that would be tough to strip.
This piece picks up the third leg of the 3 way ties we fabricated.
After the inside corner was installed, we continued closing the from.
On the LiteDeck front, we continued installing the shoring. If you recall from our LiteDeck work last summer, spans over 5' must be supported during concrete placement.
Sometimes a good old fashioned manual rebar bender comes in handy. Here's where the crew bent up a bunch of stirrups for the beams under the skylights.
Finally, here's a pic of the back of the house. It doesn't show anything in particular - I just didn't recall having shown you this view.
We're on track for a 50+ cy placement on Friday. Shouldn't be a problem if we can keep the pace up.
Up on the roof, we got the forms for the two skylights in position.
The forms are 24" tall. After we place the 11" roof, we'll form up a 13" concrete curb around the outside of the plywood frame to lift the skylight above the roof surface.
We removed some foam to create an 11" thick beam on either side of the opening. The span is only 9' but the beams will have to cary the weight of the roof deck between them plus the weight of the curb and skylight itself. We'll reinforce the beam with three #6 bars to ensure it's up to the task.
In my last update I mentioned a 'high hat'. This term refers to a 2" piece of foam that is placed over the standard 6" LiteDeck billets to create a total foam thickness of 8" resulting in a 3" slab thickness.
This pic shows high hats installed in a narrow bay on the end of the building. We cut the high hats a few inches shorter than the planks to allow extra room for the concrete to get into the voids.
Meanwhile out in the garage, work continues on the ICF.
We're adding a return on the jamb bucks to provide a surface for mounting the overhead door tracks. We wrapped the bottom of the Advantech plywood with Vycor flashing for some additional moisture protection.
Work on the AC wall continues as well. We started closing the wall by installing the custom inside corner form for the 75 degree corner. I 'squared off' the inside corner to create a flat spot for the tie to rest and avoid having to form a tight point that would be tough to strip.
This piece picks up the third leg of the 3 way ties we fabricated.
After the inside corner was installed, we continued closing the from.
On the LiteDeck front, we continued installing the shoring. If you recall from our LiteDeck work last summer, spans over 5' must be supported during concrete placement.
Sometimes a good old fashioned manual rebar bender comes in handy. Here's where the crew bent up a bunch of stirrups for the beams under the skylights.
Finally, here's a pic of the back of the house. It doesn't show anything in particular - I just didn't recall having shown you this view.
We're on track for a 50+ cy placement on Friday. Shouldn't be a problem if we can keep the pace up.
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The plasma cutter produces a pretty manageable flame but i made sure there wasn't any foam in the line of fire. I've learned my lesson regarding chemicals and foam and am careful to keep spills to a minimum.
Very observant. Thee's about 2" of concrete over the beams. I'll trim the threaded rod a bit more to ensure adequate cover.
Cemoto
Well-known member
I was up in your neck of the woods snowmobiling in Monson last week. We went to the Kennebec at "Northern Outdoors"
I missed the updates but am all caught up now.
You know it's a funny thing but every time I go to Maine I think of your massive project and wish you well.
If you do in fact have an "open house" I'll bring an old bottle of really fine tequila.
Best Regards,
I missed the updates but am all caught up now.
You know it's a funny thing but every time I go to Maine I think of your massive project and wish you well.
If you do in fact have an "open house" I'll bring an old bottle of really fine tequila.
Best Regards,
Omphaloskeptic
Well-known member
"On the LiteDeck front, we continued installing the shoring. If you recall from our LiteDeck work last summer, spans over 5' must be supported during concrete placement."
This is probably a dumb question, but do you have to use a laser on the shoring to check deflection during the placement? I was thinking of what your P.E. said about load deflection expected on the cantilevered flooring when the pour was placed there. Are the shoring 'jacks' torqued somehow so that they are all pulling an equal 'up-force'?
This is probably a dumb question, but do you have to use a laser on the shoring to check deflection during the placement? I was thinking of what your P.E. said about load deflection expected on the cantilevered flooring when the pour was placed there. Are the shoring 'jacks' torqued somehow so that they are all pulling an equal 'up-force'?
SuperSocket
Well-known member
At this point you might just as well put in bullet proof glass or some sort of shuttering system.... why not just zombiefy it.
Considering the market for secure homes, I bet it would have some added value... plus add to the evil "lair" concept.
Considering the market for secure homes, I bet it would have some added value... plus add to the evil "lair" concept.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Thanks for posting all the photos, it's great to follow along with the build. One thing I haven't noticed in any of them are provisions for electrical...will you be surface mounting switches, receptacles, etc. or have you roughed in conduits in the walls?
We removed some foam to create an 11" thick beam on either side of the opening. The span is only 9' but the beams will have to cary the weight of the roof deck between them plus the weight of the curb and skylight itself. We'll reinforce the beam with three #6 bars to ensure it's up to the task.
We're on track for a 50+ cy placement on Friday. Shouldn't be a problem if we can keep the pace up.
Looks like a big thermal bridge at your curb if you have no insulation under the concrete. Likewise at your window header beams where the wood buck is directly under concrete. Will you have room on the interior face to sneak in a couple inches of foam before you sheetrock (same for the curb sides)?
Best of luck. This remains most fascinating.
I just re-read your first post... Interesting that you mentioned you'd concentrate on the garage! we're all much more interested in the overall project.
Also noticed a golf club storage area in your plan
Don't forget to show the full plans someday!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Also noticed a golf club storage area in your plan
Don't forget to show the full plans someday!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Still working towards a big Friday placement. Nothing very exciting to show you on the garage wall ICFs. We're mostly detailing and pre-building bucks. We did get one end cap installed;
Over at the AC wall, we've got it pretty much closed. We had to build a little base form to extend the formwork down at the slab step.
We also got the custom inside corner all bolted up.
Up on the roof we're installing lots of rebar. This is one of the beams that support the skylight
This is the beam over the kitchen windows
This beam is supported by the two steel posts we built into the ICF walls below. We dug up some anchor bolts to secure them to the concrete.
Work continued on the high hats as well. We are gluing them down with foam adhesive so they don't all blow away. With the high hats in place the vent piping is swallowed up.
Well, that's about it for now.
Over at the AC wall, we've got it pretty much closed. We had to build a little base form to extend the formwork down at the slab step.
We also got the custom inside corner all bolted up.
Up on the roof we're installing lots of rebar. This is one of the beams that support the skylight
This is the beam over the kitchen windows
This beam is supported by the two steel posts we built into the ICF walls below. We dug up some anchor bolts to secure them to the concrete.
Work continued on the high hats as well. We are gluing them down with foam adhesive so they don't all blow away. With the high hats in place the vent piping is swallowed up.
Well, that's about it for now.
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Thanks to everyone who is following along. It's been fun getting to know the regulars but based on the number of views, there are a lot of you who check in but don't post. I appreciate your interest as well.
Hopefully there was still some snow for your trip. Actually I have been thinking about an GJ open house. I wouldn't expect many could make the trip but I'd like to do it for those who could.
It's really a lot simpler than that. We set the shoring to the correct elevation with a level or laser and that's about it. It just prevents the foam panels from 'sagging' until the concrete sets.
The Master Bedroom cantilever has come deflected about 1/4" so far. If the engineer is right, it will come down another 1/4" when the concrete roof is placed and I'll have a level floor. Since this is what we want to happen we haven't installed any shoring under the floor.
Great ideas although there's no room in the budget right now. Until I have the cash, my plan for the zombie apocalypse is sand bags.
We've been building the electrical into the AC walls as we go. The electrical in the foam walls and ceilings can be put in later. You cut slots in the foam for wiring and holes for boxes and lights. You just spray foam it all back in when you're done.
Great observation. There are a couple places where I feel like I need a full 11" concrete beam and have omitted the insulation. I plan to do exactly what you suggest. I have 1 1/2" space above the drywall ceiling where i can install some insulation.
Damn. I keep forgetting about the plans. I'll get to it - I promise.
The 'golf club' area is more of a mud room where we can drop coats, boots, etc before we traipse into the house though we'll have a place for the clubs as well. Before we started this project, the wife and I both play a lot.
The guys noticed the golf club space as well. It wasn't long before word spread throughout the company that the bosses house was so big he had a whole room just to store his golf clubs.
Hopefully there was still some snow for your trip. Actually I have been thinking about an GJ open house. I wouldn't expect many could make the trip but I'd like to do it for those who could.
This is probably a dumb question, but do you have to use a laser on the shoring to check deflection during the placement? I was thinking of what your P.E. said about load deflection expected on the cantilevered flooring when the pour was placed there. Are the shoring 'jacks' torqued somehow so that they are all pulling an equal 'up-force'?
It's really a lot simpler than that. We set the shoring to the correct elevation with a level or laser and that's about it. It just prevents the foam panels from 'sagging' until the concrete sets.
The Master Bedroom cantilever has come deflected about 1/4" so far. If the engineer is right, it will come down another 1/4" when the concrete roof is placed and I'll have a level floor. Since this is what we want to happen we haven't installed any shoring under the floor.
Great ideas although there's no room in the budget right now. Until I have the cash, my plan for the zombie apocalypse is sand bags.
We've been building the electrical into the AC walls as we go. The electrical in the foam walls and ceilings can be put in later. You cut slots in the foam for wiring and holes for boxes and lights. You just spray foam it all back in when you're done.
Great observation. There are a couple places where I feel like I need a full 11" concrete beam and have omitted the insulation. I plan to do exactly what you suggest. I have 1 1/2" space above the drywall ceiling where i can install some insulation.
I just re-read your first post... Interesting that you mentioned you'd concentrate on the garage! we're all much more interested in the overall project.
Also noticed a golf club storage area in your plan
Don't forget to show the full plans someday.
Damn. I keep forgetting about the plans. I'll get to it - I promise.
The 'golf club' area is more of a mud room where we can drop coats, boots, etc before we traipse into the house though we'll have a place for the clubs as well. Before we started this project, the wife and I both play a lot.
The guys noticed the golf club space as well. It wasn't long before word spread throughout the company that the bosses house was so big he had a whole room just to store his golf clubs.
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Thedoc14
Well-known member
Dont let the truth get in the way of a good story, the boys would of had a great laugh at that.
madoc1
Well-known member
i bet there are many of us, like me, that check all the updates but don't respond. this is one my favorite builds! thx for letting us share.
jim
jim
55cadillacking
Well-known member
I'm a frequent "checker", but the build is far beyond my knowledge and expertise so I don't really have anything to comment on, but I love it! I can't wait to see it all complete.
Baldy
New member
I have watched from the start and look in everyday to see what has been done.
For me this is one of the best things on the internet, the amount of work that goes into this and the detail in your posts has made it a must read for me everyday!
I hope you keep posting here when its finished as I am looking forward to the willys build also, my dream motor
For me this is one of the best things on the internet, the amount of work that goes into this and the detail in your posts has made it a must read for me everyday!
I hope you keep posting here when its finished as I am looking forward to the willys build also, my dream motor
dubber
Well-known member
I'm in the same boat, as per 55cadillacking's comment.
Kevin_b_c
Well-known member
Same here. Very interesting to see the whole process. Thanks for documenting and sharing!
Cemoto
Well-known member
I look forward to the updates everyday!
red
Well-known member
" Actually I have been thinking about an GJ open house. I wouldn't expect many could make the trip but I'd like to do it for those who could."
In a heart beat just to shake the hand of a Master Builder . . . ..Thanks for all the hard work you have put into this thread.
Guess those concrete guys just love hard work.
In a heart beat just to shake the hand of a Master Builder . . . ..Thanks for all the hard work you have put into this thread.
Guess those concrete guys just love hard work.
I've been reading GJ for all of 1½ weeks, but didn't join up... just read things, made notes for myself and kept looking around. Originally found utah997's Bunker Garage, and was impressed, then Hottrod's island home (drooled over that one... live near Ft. Lauderdale), IGO2XS's awesome Monster Garage and a few noteable others (like tinbender_66), but actually joined because of your incredibe thread here. It's taken me several days to get thru your build up to the present... have you bookmarked on my home system, laptop, & phone so I could spend every minute catching up (was even reading while the boys were in the dentist's chair yesterday).
You've already answered all of my questions, so just wanted to say this is really impressive! My boys love to come look at the pics with me, and I've been able to use your pics to explain much about construction to them.
I can imagine there were a number of days you didn't feel like it, but am very glad you've taken all the time to document this... looking forward to tagging along the rest of the way as well. Off to feed the family for now, but will (undoubtedly) check in later.
Concrete is scheduled to arrive at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. We may not place as much as I'd hoped but we'll get the important stuff.
We'll start with the low roof for the house. You can see the skylight curbs in the background.
You might also note some conduit and piping. Future plans for this area include a roof deck with a hot tub. I roughed in for a heated radiant slab with a drain, power for the tub and a water supply. Not sure when (or if) I'll get around to doing it but I need to build this stuff into the concrete now.
In the foreground you can see some 3/4" threaded rod we welded to the beam to tie into the ICF that will go up shortly. The rods are extra long because they have to pass thru a 20" tall curb that supports the ICF's.
We used 1/2" anchor bolts to secure the skylight curbs to the concrete beams that support them.
Here's how we're supporting the rebar and mesh. The two #5s in the bottom of the beam are supported by plastic chairs supplied by LiteDeck. The 6 ga mesh is supported by slab bolster.
We installed 2" rigid around the perimeter by slipping behind the edge forms. I'll secure it better once the forms are removed.
While the welder was here, I had him install some additional threaded rods for the next placement.
Meanwhile down in the garage, work continues on the concrete column. We're lining our modular forms with MDO similar to how we did with the AC foundation walls. It was easier than building custom forms.
Right behind the column is the 75 degree AC wall. Here's a shot from above showing how the custom corner form came together. This angle results from the fact that the garage is turned 15% from the house.
Here's another 75 degree corner. Since my ICF manufacturer only makes 90 degree corners, we had to make our own. We used our modular forms with a hinged corner to hold the foam in position until the concrete sets
Anyplace we will have a steel beam bear on concrete, we install a bearing plate supplied by my steel fabricator. They provide a means to secure the beam to the concrete by welding.
One of the more significant architectural features of the house is starting to take shape. As you walk up to the front door, you'll look through a wall of glass and see the AC wall in the garage. It should be striking at night when the floor lights below cast the wall in a warm glow.
Here's how we'll eventually enter the house from the garage. We wanted our entry to be as interesting as our guests. The 75 degree AC wall is to the right. On the left the ICF wall will be sheet rocked, then floor to ceiling glass and the concrete column. Straight ahead - more glass. When you turn the corner you'll look straight out to the water through yet more glass. Should be cool.
Further down, the ICF walls are lagging a bit but they're coming along. The 9' door gets a concrete header but the span is too great at the 18' door. The wider door gets a steel beam at the roof level and I'll have to frame in below it with another material - anything but wood.
I'll close with a couple perspective pics. First a shot of some AC concrete - the S shaped wall and the 'chimney' above the gas fireplace
And a shot of the master bedroom cantilever lit by the setting sun
You may have noted that I abandoned this update for a while midway through. Actually fell asleep in my chair. I'm finishing it up at 3:00 am cause now I can't sleep. The life of an aging concrete guy with an early morning pour on his mind.
We'll start with the low roof for the house. You can see the skylight curbs in the background.
You might also note some conduit and piping. Future plans for this area include a roof deck with a hot tub. I roughed in for a heated radiant slab with a drain, power for the tub and a water supply. Not sure when (or if) I'll get around to doing it but I need to build this stuff into the concrete now.
In the foreground you can see some 3/4" threaded rod we welded to the beam to tie into the ICF that will go up shortly. The rods are extra long because they have to pass thru a 20" tall curb that supports the ICF's.
We used 1/2" anchor bolts to secure the skylight curbs to the concrete beams that support them.
Here's how we're supporting the rebar and mesh. The two #5s in the bottom of the beam are supported by plastic chairs supplied by LiteDeck. The 6 ga mesh is supported by slab bolster.
We installed 2" rigid around the perimeter by slipping behind the edge forms. I'll secure it better once the forms are removed.
While the welder was here, I had him install some additional threaded rods for the next placement.
Meanwhile down in the garage, work continues on the concrete column. We're lining our modular forms with MDO similar to how we did with the AC foundation walls. It was easier than building custom forms.
Right behind the column is the 75 degree AC wall. Here's a shot from above showing how the custom corner form came together. This angle results from the fact that the garage is turned 15% from the house.
Here's another 75 degree corner. Since my ICF manufacturer only makes 90 degree corners, we had to make our own. We used our modular forms with a hinged corner to hold the foam in position until the concrete sets
Anyplace we will have a steel beam bear on concrete, we install a bearing plate supplied by my steel fabricator. They provide a means to secure the beam to the concrete by welding.
One of the more significant architectural features of the house is starting to take shape. As you walk up to the front door, you'll look through a wall of glass and see the AC wall in the garage. It should be striking at night when the floor lights below cast the wall in a warm glow.
Here's how we'll eventually enter the house from the garage. We wanted our entry to be as interesting as our guests. The 75 degree AC wall is to the right. On the left the ICF wall will be sheet rocked, then floor to ceiling glass and the concrete column. Straight ahead - more glass. When you turn the corner you'll look straight out to the water through yet more glass. Should be cool.
Further down, the ICF walls are lagging a bit but they're coming along. The 9' door gets a concrete header but the span is too great at the 18' door. The wider door gets a steel beam at the roof level and I'll have to frame in below it with another material - anything but wood.
I'll close with a couple perspective pics. First a shot of some AC concrete - the S shaped wall and the 'chimney' above the gas fireplace
And a shot of the master bedroom cantilever lit by the setting sun
You may have noted that I abandoned this update for a while midway through. Actually fell asleep in my chair. I'm finishing it up at 3:00 am cause now I can't sleep. The life of an aging concrete guy with an early morning pour on his mind.
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60766244
Active member
I only signed up the other day but have been addicted to reading this thread since.
The design is superb and the follow through looks equally so!
Thanks for taking so many pictures and making the construction so easy to understand on such a complex build.
I've only about 4 months experience in working in concrete, and that was with pre-cast making pipes, blocking and sleepers. So I know only the basics. I was stoked to see your use of Wacker's though!
How much did the concrete bounce using them? We would only use a maximum 4 Wacker's on a 12t solid concrete block, and that would make the steel forms full of concrete run across the floor! Seeing so many bolted onto wooden forms makes me think you didn't turn them up too much? Though I suppose the wood would dull the vibration more than 5mm steel plate.
As a man wanting to build a custom home, and shed one-day, I appreciate this thread in it's utmost and I'm subscribing, and bookmarking it for future reference, and I'll PDF it one day when you've fully made your masterpiece!
I'll be refreshing here daily.
Regards
The design is superb and the follow through looks equally so!
Thanks for taking so many pictures and making the construction so easy to understand on such a complex build.
I've only about 4 months experience in working in concrete, and that was with pre-cast making pipes, blocking and sleepers. So I know only the basics. I was stoked to see your use of Wacker's though!
How much did the concrete bounce using them? We would only use a maximum 4 Wacker's on a 12t solid concrete block, and that would make the steel forms full of concrete run across the floor! Seeing so many bolted onto wooden forms makes me think you didn't turn them up too much? Though I suppose the wood would dull the vibration more than 5mm steel plate.
As a man wanting to build a custom home, and shed one-day, I appreciate this thread in it's utmost and I'm subscribing, and bookmarking it for future reference, and I'll PDF it one day when you've fully made your masterpiece!
I'll be refreshing here daily.
Regards
Thanks to all of you who weighed in for the first time after my last post. Your positive comments are greatly appreciated. This endeavor has actually proven quite useful. More than once I've been reminded of something important or had a good idea while posting. I'm enjoying the process of documenting the build and am very pleased that others are too. Cheers.
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Buzz Lightyear
Well-known member
Another interesting update again.
It's all really starting to come together now.
It's all really starting to come together now.