Bond Beam

n74tg · May 03, 2007, 10:02:41 PM

I've finally got to start filling the bond beam in my dry stack foundation walls. There is rebar that runs horizontally inside the bond beam and vertically in every third cell.

There are more bond beam pics and explanation in the blog address below.

glenn kangiser · May 03, 2007, 10:24:55 PM

Looks great, Tony. Thanks for the update.

May 04, 2007, 07:01:39 AM

Good info on your blog about your experience with pricing on the homemade surface bonding cement, Tony. Thanks

How was your experience with keeping things straight and plumb on the wall? I haven't done much of it. Yours looks like you did fine.

n74tg · May 04, 2007, 07:22:00 AM

Glenn:
The wall(s) are not as straight or as plumb as I would like. The surface bonding cement will do a lot towards covering those imperfections.

I guess it's like any other project we do. We know exactly where every imperfection is though many other's wouldn't notice them at all.

glenn kangiser · May 04, 2007, 06:57:32 PM

My old welding teacher at the diesel shop told me "You are your own best inspector. You know what it is supposed to look like, so just make each one better than the last.

I am sure I would have the same issues with my blockwork if I had done it. I watch pros do it but don't think I could do what they do. You did just fine.

May 07, 2007, 09:15:22 PM

And here is a pic of the lintel beam over the doorway. It has four pieces of rebar inside (horizontal) and the vertical pieces either side of the doorway terminate inside the lintel beam. It weighs about 400 pounds, so it was cast in place.

glenn kangiser · May 07, 2007, 10:04:25 PM

Thats a beauty, Tony. That will be good for ones who want to know how it's done or what it is.

Did you know that for temporary anchors - such as nailing that form to the wall ( or any rock - concrete or masonry) you can drill into the wall with a 1/4 inch concrete bit (percussion - hammer drill). Go right through the wood if you want to, then drive 3 16d nails into the hole (all together in one hole). Pull them out with a crowbar when done and patch the hole if desired. They will hold quite a load. If too loose use bigger or thicker nails.

n74tg · May 08, 2007, 06:55:37 AM

As I am building this house by myself I have to find ways to do things without a helper. Framing up the lintel beam bottom wasn't hard, but hanging the sides was a little trickier. I just used some wood "hangers" to hold it in place while I put drywall screws into the bottom form board. Then, pull the side boards together at the top and run in another screw on each end and it was done.

glenn kangiser · May 08, 2007, 07:02:39 AM

Good way to do it. There are many times several ways to do something, but tips like yours, will save others lots of time trying to figure it out.

May 10, 2007, 09:55:49 AM

The tornado shelter concrete roof has been finished now. Here are a couple of pics. More pics at blog address below.

glenn kangiser · May 10, 2007, 11:41:16 PM

By the time you finish, you will be a pro, Tony.

n74tg · May 11, 2007, 06:12:03 AM

By the time I finish, I will have decided I probably don't want to build any more houses.

n74tg · May 11, 2007, 09:31:07 AM

Here's probably the last of the bond beam updates (as it's pretty much finished now). Wall height was a little shallow so I had to raise it a little (hence the wood framing).

And I tried out the surface bonding cement too. It's really pretty easy to work with. Now, I just wish I'd bought the white SBC, but it was $4 a bag more.

Sassy · May 12, 2007, 11:42:02 AM

That's a lot of blocks! Do you think it was easier to do the dry stack than mortared block? Looks like a lot of work but you've done a great job. Your view of the lake is so pretty - I enjoy reading your blog.

May 12, 2007, 04:17:08 PM

From what I've read on the subject, dry-stack walls work well for DIYers who are not familiar with working with mortar. But then, on the other hand, I could've learned how to use mortar effectively.

Is the dry stack wall cheaper to build than with mortar...probably not. What you save in mortar costs are probably offset by additional rebar and surface bonding cement costs.
Is dry-stack building faster than with mortar...definately faster once the bottom row of block are layed (and set into mortar).
Is dry-stack more forgiving than mortared building...I think so, it's easy and fast to unstack blocks to fix something; and then restack.
Are dry-stack walls stronger...I don't think there is any doubt, dry-stack is stronger. I think I will feel quite comfortable riding out any tornado in my tornado shelter (except maybe an F5 that is a direct hit on the house).
Is the surface bonding cement easy to work with...yes; it's just time consuming, and expensive (even on sale).

If I had to do it again would I use dry-stack...I don't know. I've learned a lot from building the dry stack walls. I think I could have handled a mortared wall too.