Outside - Pouring Concrete Part 1

We poured in the early evening. It was the best time according to our schedules, but probably not the best time according to the sun. In the afternoon the sun hits full onto this side of the building and, between the bricks and the asphalt, it can get pretty hot. Add a layer of sunblock and it feels great, but the concrete sets up faster that way. It gets thick and goopy coming down the chute; the driver kept hosing it down to keep it moving easily.


This picture shows the wooden forms PC built against the building:






Remember those asphalt squares that were removed from the parking lot? PC was able to dig them out about 18 inches. The soil beneath the parking lot was packed very tightly and made for some hard digging. He found a few glass shards and some old bones. (Bones!? Yep. There's a story there, don't you think?)
Next, he built wooden forms around the boxes to bring them all up to the same elevation because the parking lot slopes slightly toward the street (I didn't get pictures of the tool he uses to do that - I was busy holding the measuring stick).






This isn't the greatest picture, but it'll give you an idea of what he did. The wood around the outside, obviously, is to form the concrete into shape and to bring it to the proper elevation. The 2x4 across the top is there to hold the 'J' bolts in place. (They're really shaped like the letter 'L' with a long vertical leg, but they're called 'J' bolts. I don't know why, I'm just telling it.) On top you can see those two little knobs - those are the threaded ends with washers and bolts and covered in duct tape to protect them from the concrete (it gets messy). The long ends are floating down in the hole so they're anchored good and tight once everything sets up. You can see the pencil marks on that 2x4, too. He's got it set up perfectly to bolt down the columns that will support the entryway overhang. (Right now the columns are sitting in the garage here at home waiting for me to wire-brush them, sand them and paint them. Instead, I'm sitting here drinking coffee and writing blog entries.)






Here's PC doing some last minute reinforcing. I'm sure that there's some formula for figuring out the amount of pressure that gets exerted against concrete forms, but I don't know what it is. It's enough for me to know that it's a LOT. TONS. Or more.
I've never seen forms blow out, probably because I've always helped pour into forms that PC builds and anything that PC builds will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Anytime soon meaning in the next hundred years or more (way more). (I'll have to show you pictures of the log cabin that he built -but that's way off topic....)
Apparently, though, blowing forms is not all that uncommon. PC has says when it happens they explode. Yikes.






Here it comes, pouring the boxes first, PC ready with the shovel:




A quick thank you to Curtis for helping out with this pour and also to Jim Mayle, the driver from Builder's Service & Supply. This isn't the first time that Jim has brought us concrete. He's delivered to our house at least a couple of times - once core filling the block walls for the garage and once for half of the floor in the garage (one of these days we'll do the other half). Jim is soft-spoken and patient and he knows what he's doing. Thank you, Jim.

Blogger wouldn't let me upload more than these 5 pictures so, instead of fighting to move them around I'll just start another post. I have time, I think; the kids were worn out last night....