̶1̶2̶ 3 Acres and a Dog: More Concrete

We finally finished pouring concrete for our basement (Hallelujah!). But let me back up to how we got to this point.
The first layer we needed was a layer of sand, six inches in our case. I ordered the sand from a local hauler I've used since the first time we built a house. I found out they wouldn't be able to dump it from the truck over the edge of the basement walls. So we rented a mini skid steer to get it into the basement and then spread it by hand.

Like a gladiator on a chariot, this guy

When we had it all spread out and level, we compacted it with a rented plate compactor.

Next came two inches of rigid foam board (extruded polystyrene). Despite trying to weigh it down, we did have one wind event but we didn't lose or break any. We just had to put them back in their places.

After that, we put down pex lines that are part of our radiant heat system.
Here you see Jenn stapling the pex to the foam board with a rented stapler made for this purpose. Side note, I have discovered Menards is a great place to rent weird tools like this!

After we had all the circuits for this zone laid out, we attached them to this premade manifold that came with our kit from Radiantec. Thus far, I couldn't be happier with the quality of materials from Radiantec. Even better, the tech support we have received has been top notch!

After everything was connected, we pressure-tested it. No leaks!! Radiantec recommends leaving it pressured to about 25 psi for the concrete pour, so you can see air bubbles in your concrete while you are pouring.

The day of the pour was exhausting and hot as is every time we pour concrete. We set up screed rails on the two long edges and put together a 24-foot-long screed board. Don't do this! It was very hard to pull. Fortunately for us, one of my closest friends showed up to help us. He also happens to be the strongest human I know. Thank God for good friends!!