[TheForge] OT: My floor is poured: the saga OT:

Thu Oct 23 17:44:02 EDT 2014

And ants!  Ants will nest in styrofoam.  Voice of sad experience, here.

Bruce
NJ

On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 1:49 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer <
artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:

> Hope it works as well for you as it did for me...That backfill has a
> staggering R value!
> Don't neglect to cover it with something that'll keep fire and rodents out.
>
> On Oct 23, 2014, at 10:39 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:
>
> The recycler had 3'x4'x6' bales of compressed plastic, but they were over
> 1000# each and I am in no humor to wrestle that.  The polystyrene blocks
> are extruded from the chipped raw material. Density varies significantly.
> No matter.  I'm looking to provide a seepage channel and these should do
> the trick.
>
> Oh, and I also have left at least 4 trails between Charleston and Elkview.
>
> On 10/17/14, 1:30 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> > Andy, the styro i was getting was in the form of wired, compressed
> bales. They had a press that'd turn a giant dumpster full into a 3' X 4'
> bale, that i then stacked 3 high on my flatbed. Exhausted, i drove home in
> the dark having tied down the load. I feared that the cops would follow the
> debris trail for 60 miles and find me days later.
> > I used some of the bales whole where i was concerned about sliding, then
> opened up the remaining bales to fill the rest of the space. Before i
> placed the styro, i did a multiply redundant series of waterproofing coats
> on the outside of the retaining wall ( parge coat, rubberized asphalt sheet
> and heavy plastic sheet.
> > I topped the styro backfill with a foot of leachrock for vermin and
> fireproofing.
> > The french drain at the bottom  sloped 1/2" to the foot and was covered
> in 3 layers of drain fabric.
> > Unfortunately, the heavy plastic sheet under the french drain got
> perforated in the process and the seepage leaves me with a damp shop floor
> a few days after heavy rains despite  both sand and plastic sheet under the
> slab.
> > Somehow, 3 tons of sloppy clay is much heavier than 3 tons of almost
> anything else. Groan.
> >
> > On Oct 17, 2014, at 5:18 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:
> >
> > Well, it turned out the recycler indeed has blocks of styrofoam and I
> have been stacking them to the grade line.  Typar at the outer face, then
> back fill.  They loaded two large boxes full... probably about 800# each.
> I will be leaving in a short while to get two more and that should do the
> do for us.  They are about 8" square by randome lengths, vary in density,
> but seem to be porous.
> >
> > The day after the north and east walls were completed, the rain caved in
> the clay at the northeast corner.  I'd estimate at least 3 tons of
> water-logged clay.  God bless my wife for her help.  We got it excavated
> yesterday in about 6 hours and did it literally by hand, as the shovels
> were utterly useless.  I was swearing to make a sailor join a convent.  Not
> sure why, but when the clay grabs me such that I cannot get my boot out, I
> go completely red.
> >
> > Got the drain reset, gravel in, foam blocks on top and sealed the walls
> with Hydrocide... pretty nasty stuff.  I'm still wearing it, three days and
> about 8 showers later.  Need more foam block, and then backfill partially.
> >
> > Mason told me to use non-shrinking grout between the bottom of old
> footing and top of new block walls.  That is going to be a lot of grout...
> :(  At that volume I would have gone broke on hydraulic cement.  That
> damned stuff is $$.  I've never used concrete grout before.  I sure hope it
> has the compressive strength to take the load.
> >
> > I think I am going to fill the spaces where the steel columns are
> encased by the blocks with portland.  The walls of the block are shaved a
> mite thin in one or two places.
> >
> > I will have Bibi take pictures today and post them so you all can bear
> witness to the truer depths of my insanity.
> >
> > The next step: concrete company comes to pour 6" cap on the old-new
> floor.  That will give me a 12" floor, less head room (down to about 9'4"),
> but I'm OK with it.  The second pour will act as a lock for moisure and a
> kicker for the bottomost blocks against the inward pressure of the
> surrounding earth.
> >
> > Much yet to do, but at least the new foundation is in.  I cannot tell
> you what a relief that has been.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 9/16/14, 6:57 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> >> I'm certain you do Andy! Um...Just one?
> >>
> >> On Sep 16, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Andrew Vida wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> On 9/16/14, 5:18 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> >>> Some years back i discovered free bales of styrofoam from the
> recycling plant.
> >>> They were so eager to get rid of them they loaded them for me after
> hours..
> >>> Covered my 12' flatbed with them stacked 9' high.
> >>> They made great backfill behind the big  retaining wall and have been
> stable for the last 15 years or more.
> >>> Water resistant , insulating, easy to place and free. I covered them
> with leachrock about a foot deep for fire and vermin.
> >>> If you need more volume, break up the bales on a calm day.
> >>> French drain below.
> >> Now this is a really cool idea.  I was having a small fit trying to
> figure how I was to get all that gravel situated properly.  Was thinking of
> using gambions, but they are stupidly pricey and you have to build them
> yourself... and they are endlessly heavy, even the small ones.  But this I
> could do.
> >>
> >> Thanks Peter - I will check this out.  I'm sure I now owe you a beer.
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