The concrete subcontractor, Craig Gustafson, showed up Monday morning to set the forms. I found it absolutely amazing the pace at which this guy and his crew work. Jerry my general contractor called at 8:15 AM to tell me they were there, I showed up 5 minutes later, and within an hour they had laid the insulation under the thickened edge, set their forms, and made sure everything was level and square. Guess that’s the speed of work when you have 6-8 men who know what they’re doing.
I spoke with Craig at length about what would transpire over the next few days. After setting up the forms his job was finished until the mechanical subcontractor came to rough in all the plumbing into the stone pad. After this was finished he would return to lay the styrofoam and poly barrier across the stone pad and create the rebar grid. The mechanical sub would then return to lay all his radiant tubing and then it was back to the concrete crew to pour the slab. All together, if delays/waiting for people are kept to a minimum, it should be completed within 2 weeks.
We also threw around some ideas about using decorative concrete for the back patio and as the finished flooring in my family area. There are a number of patterns that can be stamped into the concrete that with a little bit of dye can be made to look almost identical to the real thing. For the back patio I think a dark fieldstone or slate pattern would give us the look we’re after at price half that of composite decking. For my family room I’m thinking something along the lines of a dark brown/slate color that is acid washed, stained, and etched to look like tile. This would be the best flooring for a passive solar house because it would let the sunlight (and it’s stored radiant energy) strike the concrete slab directly and heat up the large thermal mass. Far more efficient than placing an insulator like wood above the thermal mass! Pricewise he said it would be somewhere around $2-3 per square foot finished which is also a dramatic savings. If only I could find a couple real life examples to look at; pictures on the Internet only do so much for my imagination/comfort level.
Some pictures of the work completed on Monday:
Concrete Forms Set on Top of 4′ x 8′ Sheets of 2″ Styrofoam
Notice How the Styrofoam is underneath the Thickened Edge And Extends 3′ from the Perimeter
A Second, Closer View
The Exterior Walls Are Lined out with String
So we’re now waiting for the mechanical subcontractor to get doing his part.I’ve been on the phone with him over the past few days and am hopeful he’ll finish up his other job today and be on-site tomorrow.Cross your fingers for me!
Other than construction stuff, I’d love to be doing more writeups about the technical/automation stuff but I’ve been so super busy with this month of weddings and it just hasn’t happened. This afternoon I’ll be finishing up/toning down my best man speech to keep my best buddy’s wife from attacking me after I give it. Should be a fun balancing act 🙂
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hey mikejust wondering what your foundation detail will look like when complete, and how you came up with your plan?
I am surprised Mike that the forms do not extend into the ground, I know that they pulled back all the topsoil. But I would have figured up here in the north east even on a slab ther'd be a larger frost wall.Todd
For a radiant slab, the perimeter insulation is lieu of the frost wall. I've been told/read that the rigid insulation around the perimeter helps keep the frost from getting under the slab, and that combined with the heat loss by the slab into the ground is enough to keep everything safe for the long-term.I'll post the concrete detail in just a few.