The Pour!
Posted Sunday, Oct 02nd, 2011 at 12:46pmIt was fascinating to see what went into preparing for the foundation. The plumber worked for hours digging trenches to bring in one water main, and to put in drains that would go under the foundation for the toilet, bath, sinks, water heater and washer/dryer. These pipes were wrapped in insulation and buried. The electrical line was brought in as well. The concrete guys came in and put up the forms for the outside wall of the foundation - these would be removed after the pour. Holes were dug so that there could be an extra-thick foundation under the weight-bearing walls. Then came a layer of gravel and insulation:
After that they put down thick black plastic and re-bar.
Then, finally, came the concrete!
Watching the concrete guys move around and through the cement was like watching ballet:
When they were done wading in the concrete and backing up smoothing it with a two-by-four, they worked on the edges and then this one guy smoothed out the surface with a long pole:
Later in the afternoon came a series of three smoothing-out maneuvers with guys delicately perched on pink insulation leveling the surface with two different kinds of trowels - made of different metals.
Again, there was a delicacy and beauty.
Here is the finished slab - perfectly smooth and level! The view is from the front door.
Here is where I started furnishing the house. Here is the bed:
The bathtub:
The toilet:
And the kitchen sink:
How satisfying to have the whole thing done in two days!