Concrete Fortress

A "Sonotube" to support

the footbridge

(perhaps a little overkill)

Stormwater Planters
&
future sunk-in living area
More Planters
@ the SE corner

The upper retaining wall

looking sweet

Forms - Part 2

The forms were set,

inspected,

& filled in just two days.

This second stage of concrete

includes driveway turnaround

retaining wall & stormwater planters.

Check out the enormous solid concrete footer

There is also a 12"deep "key"

below the footer that helps prevent

the wall from sliding

The slab was poured,

smoothed, and sealed.

The forms here are for

stormwater planters

& cistern.

Vapor Barrier

Things are moving quick

The Basement Slab

is being prepped

for concrete.

The black plastic is

a vapor barrier

between the gravel

& the slab

The re-bar grid

is for structure

and there will be

"control joints"

in the slab

to prevent irregular

cracking

Caught a great sunset on the way home

Gravel Pour

Before
and After.
The gravel gets "shot"
into the basement
from a conveyor belt
at the back of a large
gravel truck.
Now ready for compaction

Sub-Surface Drainage

Water infiltration prevention!

The way water will move and drain

around the house was carefully considered

since our home is being built on a slope

made of clay

in a landslide area

in rainy P'Town, Oregon.

The foundation walls were coated

with a black asphalt/rubber spray

for damproofing

and then an orange drainboard

to keep water away.

We opted for under-slab drainage

since we expect

our daylight basement

will take on lots of water.

The drainage pipe (white)

will be covered

with about 18" or so

of gravel.

There will be a moisture barrier

and then the concrete slab

will be poured

on top.

Was upset by this detail.

The drainpipe was supposed

to be laid along side the footing

instead of on top of it.

It's recommended to keep

the water table below the footing

so that the there is less of a chance

for water to find a crack

in the basement wall.

This mistake caused our first major dispute

with the G.C. (general contractor).

I felt like the drainage detail

I created with help from

the Geotechnical Engineer

was ignored.

We asked them to get the drainage pipe lower.

Here was the fix:

Not ideal,

but an improvement.

The g.c. hired a crew to come

out with an "airspade",

which shoots air at high pressure,

to carve a channel in the clay

alongside the footer.

The drainage pipe w/ filter sock

could then be lowered

below the footing.

I also asked that the footer

be sprayed with the asphalt/rubber

spray to slow water from "wicking"

into the concrete.

They filled the cavity

with clean 2" drainrock

right up to the surface.

All this for a little peace of mind.

The Foundation

Here is 66 yards of concrete

used to form the

foundation.

The walls are "stepped"

to follow the slope

which is typical

for a daylight basement.

View from SW

Elevations

Forms

The forms were put in while

we were on vacation.

This is a view

from the SW corner

where the dining room

will be.

Inspections soon

and then the pour.

Up above at the driveway

we are starting

to get a feel

for the approach.

The Dig Out

The daylight basement

is being dug here.

Luckily, there have been no

big rocks or boulders

which add to the work/price.

Excavators have a "rock clause"

in their contracts.

The guy with the stick

is standing

in our future living room.

The upper shelf above is for

the 'driveway turnaround'

which will be a sports-court

for Reece.