[TheForge] Concrete forms OT, but important... for me anyhow.

[jerry Frost]

When I worked masonry we called these blocks "bond beams". We laid a course
at specified distance and laid rebar through them to tie the wall together
horizontally. As I recall the first bond beam course was at 4' rise and 4'
intervals for walls higher than 8'. The wall is tied to the footing with
vertical rebar stubs so the footing serves as the first bond beam.

When I specified the footing and pony walls for this house I specified
double rebar in half spaced bond beams so our bond beam courses are at 2'
intervals and every vertical gap is reinforced. The entire pony wall is
grouted solid. It's a "tad" over killed but that's what happens when the guy
who designs a foundation spent 20 years on bridge and large building
foundations in earthquake country.

A bond beam block has ends but they knock right out with a tap of a hammer,
rock or almost anything. Normal code for a bond beam course has the mason
lay the knocked out ends in the space in the blocks to prevent the grout
from filling the entire wall. There are verticals that get grouted and as I
recall they're on 4' intervals, the knock outs are left out so the rebar can
be laid vertically and grouted with the bond beam courses.

Anyhow, when the mason laid our pony walls none of the knockouts were laid
in the wall and it's solid concrete with WAY more rebar than called for by
code.

There is or was a dry lay cinderblock method. No mortar is used so
calculating the wall height and length takes a little figuring before hand.
Once wall and rebar are laid it's grouted solid and given a surface coat of
mortar or grout. I have no idea why it's plastered in mortar/grout but
that's what they were doing. I haven't heard anything about this method but
I don't pay much attention to construction industry any more.

Were I doing your project Andy I'd lay a cinderblock foundation wall and
grout it solid. It's So much easier than laying forms and worrying about a
blowout. If you think digging your basement/crawlspace was hard just think
of digging out a few yards of set concrete.

Jer

-----Original Message-----
From: TheForge [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter
Fels & Phoebe Palmer
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 9:35 AM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Concrete forms OT, but important... for me anyhow.


On Aug 12, 2014, at 5:45 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:

Care to elaborate on this?

Never heard of speedblock.  Are you talking about 12" hollow block and
filling the voids with concrete and rebar?

Speedblock are like concrete block, but with open ends, and a half thickness
crossbar...an H shape....Usually cheaper than concrete block too.
Yes they have a groove for horizontal rebar and the vertical bar placement
is the same. Yes, the cells are similarly grouted.



On 8/11/14, 1:29 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> Did our foundation  and retaining wall forming using 12" speedblock, lots
of rebar, drystacked with surface bonding cement instead of forms. Poured
the first 4' lift, vibrated to get the air out and pumped the top 4 ' a few
hours later.
> Faster and cheaper than forms and required less skill.
> Backfilled over the french drain using junk styrofoam with a foot of
leechrock on top. They were real eager to get rid of the bailed styro, no
charge, even helped me load.
> 
> On Aug 11, 2014, at 9:34 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:
> 
> Irregular on the bottom of the existing footings.
> 
> I could cut the outside of the footings as well, but worry whether what
remained (about 11-12" total width) would be strong enough to support the
current load.
> 
> 
> On 8/11/14, 4:56 AM, Larry Brown wrote:
>> Maybe see about renting them and just make the filler pieces  where 
>> it is irregular?
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