Saturday, August 5, 2023

A Bunch of Concrete

 We filled our ICFs with 36 yards of concrete. It was our first experience on the business end of a pump truck. Don't worry, me and my bodyguard checked out the driver beforehand.

Jenn ran the pump hose while I ran the concrete vibrator.


Until this day, I did not know how much work this machine would be. It's heavy but doable.

We had two near misses during the pour. Our window bucks separated from the forms and we had to pause for my Dad to screw a piece of OSB across the buck and forms. Towards the end of our pour, my Mom (ol' eagle eye) spotted a bulging corner. Again we paused and my Dad and nephew screwed scrap lumber across the bulge. The day after our pour, I realized that all of our corners had separated a bit. Thankfully, none of them blew out. We used compact corners from LiteForm. I do not know their purpose, but I would not use them again. To be fair, LiteForm does make a full corner but they weren't available from our local Menards.

All and all, the pour went exceptionally well. We had a great pump truck operator who was very patient with newbies. After the forms were full, we wet set j-bolts that will lock down our mud plate. My bodyguard was also helpful in this aspect.
Currently, we are coating the forms with a foundation sealer in preparation for back fill. We all agree we are ready to move on from the basement part of the house. Bring on the framing!!