(I started writing this post over a year ago but then other things got in the way and it has sadly laid neglected since then. So…to re-visit, I am just touching the highlights here.)
In June of 2022, I broke ground on the foundation earthwork for my house build. It took me about six months to prepare the forms and underground plumbing. The foundation was poured in late December.
The house slab needed to sit about 6″ higher than the garage slab, so one of the first tasks was to build-up and level the ground under the house portion of the slab.
Once the ground in the garage and house areas was mostly level, I soaked the ground to get it to correct moisture content and then used a plate compactor to compact the fill areas. Dad and I laid out the wall locations with a total station and set each corner with a 20d nail and survey tape. To mark the excavation lines, I strung a string line between the nails and then spread marking chalk along the inside edge of the string. The method worked really well!
I used my backhoe to excavate for the footings. Planning the order of excavation took some thought since there were also interior shear and load bearing walls. Notionally, I started excavation along the south edge of the house and incrementally worked my way north, cutting my various interior footings as I went. I also cut trenching for the drain lines at the same time. If I remember correctly, I did still have to straddle a trench once or twice with the backhoe.
Once the footings were cut, Dad helped clean debris and level the bottom of the trench to within +/- 1″ (technically probably an overkill but required per code).
Then we setup batter boards (again with the help of a total station) and started setting the forms. The method we used to set the forms with perpendicular 2×6’s cantilevered over the side of the trench to support the form wasn’t ideal. The advantage of this method is that you can use shorter 18″ stakes instead of longer round pins and so there are fewer stakes to pull while the concrete is being poured. While it worked ok in the end, I probably wouldn’t do it again. For the garage-house step down, I used the standard method of a round pin support with flat kicker stakes and I think, ultimately it worked out better.
After the foundation was dug, I started working on the underground plumbing. My uncle, a retired plumber, was a big help. Having someone to provide home building advice in my situation has been invaluable! After the plumbing was installed, I called the county for a quick inspection prior to back-filling and compacting the plumbing trenches.
With the forms and plumbing nearly completed in late November, I hired a local concrete contractor, Valley Concrete Specialist, to lay the vapor barrier, install the rebar, and pour the slab.
Once the rebar was mostly installed, the contractor also added most of the anchor bolts and hold-down bolts around the perimeter. (I drilled holes and epoxied in the interior anchor bolts later on after the pour, once I had chalked out the layout of the wall locations on the slab.) It took a few weeks to complete all the odds and ends and then pour the slab in late December.
To pour the slab, they had a crew of about 10-12 finishers and a boom pumper. It took 8 loads of concrete from the local plant to complete the pour.
Overall, I’m very happy with the final results. The stamping in the house area (Italian Slate) with the Omaha Tan and Walnut Release stain turned out pretty well. The intention is for this to be the final finish. I’ve heard people mention that concrete is hard underfoot. My current thought is to see how it works out initially and perhaps invest in some judiciously positioned rugs as needed.
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The transit surveying station I used to do the slab layout had reasonably good optics. Working late one night, I was able to capture this picture of the moon with my cell phone camera through the transit!
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock [Christ].
Matt. 7:24-25
