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

[Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer]

12 or 16" wide speedblock ( open ended, H shaped blocks), dry stacked,  with surface bonding cement outside ( fiberglass reinforced cement with a lot of plastic in it) would be faster and cheaper by far...Plenty of steel in it of course. You wouldn't need a mason for that, just a level cement base. Then grout with a vibrator to assure penetration. Only pump in 4' lifts till it sets up some. Worked well for us on all our retaining walls.
Get a carbide grit blade for your trashy skill saw or 8" disc grinder to trim as needed. Use a heavy drywall propeller-type mud mixer with a 1/2 or 3/4" drill for the surface bonding cement in a 5 gallon bucket.
We had a lot of retaining walls to do ( it's steep here) and couldn't afford to have it done professionally.
My advice is to way overdo your drainage and outside wall waterproofing.

On Sep 18, 2014, at 7:48 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:

Concrete company plant manager came yesterday and the outcome was good.

They will foot the bill to have a 4-6" thick cap of a finishing mix poured atop the existing slab.  They will provide finishing, pumping, the whole works.  The one caveat is that I first get the walls up, which will serve as the form to which they will strike lines for the grade, and so forth.  I am thinking I will affix 1x4 below grade for a cast-in perimeter drain and box off the drain pipe to keep form a small well for water to gather and exit.

This bit could work out rather well.

The real trick now will be getting the walls up.  Plant manager said he will try to get some block masons in touch with me.

My idea is to lay 1/2 or 1/3 cap blocks in a doubled manner with 8" space between and fill with concrete or  grout.

At the bottom where pressures are high, ever other block would go 90* to the wall and act as a tie to prevent a blowout.  Rebar atop each course.  Should be plenty strong... 16" thick wall.  Cap them off and in the space between the top of the cap and the bottom of the existing footing, pack in hydraulic cement, which will expand and thereby take up the load.  Hydracide the outer surfaces, put in drains and backfill.

Anyone see any holes in that plan?
______________________________________________________________
TheForge mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net

TheForge mail list group photo site is
http://www.shutterfly.com
Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
Password: anvil

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html