14x24 1 story in Northern Arkansas

[Taylor]

Yeah I would have like to have a machine to dig with, but all I had was a post hole digger, 3' crow bar, and a trenching shovel. It was a lot cheaper then renting something for just 10 holes. I might have spent 60-70mins digging total.

Anyone know how long I need to let the concrete set up before building on?

Thanks

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

7 days is the general rule, Taylor.  I think that is about 90% strength - 28 days i considered pretty well full strength but it can harden more over the years.  At least a couple days if you are gentle at the start.  Green concrete breaks easily.

[rwanders]

24 hours should be sufficient---the concrete will actually continue to get harder for many days but, one day is good to go for building on.

[rwanders]

Glenn's advice is probably more prudent----pounding on it would not be a good idea for a week or so. If all you are doing is drilling to set anchor bolts then a gentle hand will probably see you through.

[glenn kangiser]

Come on Glenn wheres your spirit.  Need to get you more involved in farming and setting fence post with a digging iron and post hole diggers.  Makes you sleep better

Taylor now you will see the progress start.  Keep us posted.

John, my posthole digger and digging bar are very precious to me and I just sleep easier knowing that they are at home safe and well in my garage.  Truth be known I have done a bit of shoveling and hand filling rocks into an anchor hole or two in the last couple of weeks, but I dug them with the backhoe.

[Taylor]

Alright guys, thanks for the input. I got anchor bolts that I am going to set in the piers when I pour them, I plan on leaving the cardboard tubes on them also, if it doesn't mater. I was hoping to get my beams and joists set this weekend but I might wait till middle of next week to do too much to it.

Thanks

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

The only reason I stay away from the first day is that a company I contracted for who was push -push -push built a building in New York putting steel framing up the first day after poured.  Granted it was a taller building but not the super heavy structural -- just pre-engineered steel.

The concrete failed and men died.  

Likely your small house will not have a problem but I have to err on the side of caution.

[glenn kangiser]

I think the floor stuff would be OK in a couple days - the other thing I worry about on the floor is possibly breaking anchors away in piers.  No rush to get the cardboard off.

[Redoverfarm]

Taylor leaving the cardboard on at least a couple weeks will help withthe concrete as it will retain moisure which is good for the concrete.  Green concrete is  suseptible to horizontal stress.  So with that said when you set your beams do not twist the brackets with the beams to gain alaignment.  If everything lines up downward verticle pressure by what little weight you put on in the first week will probably not affect it.

This is a good example of green concrete and it's disasterious effect.  I lived just one mile from where this occured.

http://www3.gendisasters.com/west-virginia/1968/willow-island,-wv-scaffold-collapse,-may-1978

Glenn  about the tools.  I can't get along w/o my digging iron. Constant companion. It is sort of like a wife in that you can't get along with out it but it will work you to death.

[glenn kangiser]

I don't know about that, John.  My wife gets upset with me if I leave her out in the garage for an extended period of time.

[Redoverfarm]

Put her a computer out there and she will be satisfied.

[Taylor]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, here is what I got done today.
My knee was bothering me today and I ate way to much so I didn't get as much stuff done as I wanted. I got 5 out of 10 of the piers done and all my rebar cut. I plan on finishing it up tomorrow, I am going to Lowes at 6am for their sale they are having, got a good deal on shop vac, mag lite, and bath vanity. Here is a picture of the progress, it was getting dark when I finished.




Thanks

Taylor

[Taylor]

I got the piers finished up, I also made it to Lowes at 6am this morning and got my Bath vanity saved $50 on it and it has cultured marble top with built in sink, and some other stuff. I am probably going to wait till Thursday to start building, there is a chance of rain Wednesday and looks like it is going to be sunny after that and it gives my concrete time to set up.

Here is today's picture:




Taylor

[Taylor]

I have a question, I want to put something on the ground before I start building. I want something so when I am crawling around under there I won't be in the dirt. Would it be better to use some land scape fabric or some thick plastic??

Thanks

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

I put plastic down on my remodel but already dried in.  If it rains the plastic would hold water.  Possibly you could put the fabric then put smaller plastic that is dry when you work.

[Taylor]

Yeah I was thinking about the plastic holding water, the ground does have some sloped under there, but I do have some 3' wide landscape fabric I might just put around the edges to block the grass from growing around there since it won't get light in the middle.

The concrete is taking it's time drying, it has been cold the last couple of days and has been snowing all day, looks like I am hopefully going to start building Thursday.

Here is a picture of the snow:



Taylor

[Taylor]

Day it was pretty nice outside, my concrete looked pretty much white so I figured it was time to start building. I  got my brackets bolted on and my beams set, they came out perfectly level so I was happy, I plan on gluing and nailing some wood plates where the two beams meet at on the brackets. There is a chance on rain tomorrow, but the weather looks nice for about 5-6 days after that, well mid to high 40's but no rain so I hope to have walls finished up by this weekend.

Here is a picture of what I have finished so far:




Thanks

Taylor

[Taylor]

I got all my stuff for the decking, took me two trips to lowes to pick it all up. It was cold, low 40s with 10-15mph winds, so it was hard to get going on working. I got half of the framing for the deck done, I am going to finish it tomorrow and hopefully get my lumber for my walls. Here is a picture of what I got done, it was dark out so it is hard to see.

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

Looking good.

[Taylor]

Thanks Glenn

Here is a picture of today's progress, still didn't get as much done as I wanted. I am going to finish the deck tomorrow and it is going to be warm so I am going to put a coat of floor paint on it to help keep it from swelling when it rains in a few days. I painted the floor in the shed and I waited until I was done so I am going to try painting it before I build the walls and when I get it dried in I am going to put another coat over it all.

Thanks

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

Sounds like a good plan.

[Taylor]

I actually finished my goal today about 2 days later then I would have like, but I mostly worked alone and it was cold and windy. I plan to get my stuff for the walls tomorrow and get them up by mid next week, depending on the weather. Now that I get the deck up it is a lot bigger than it looked when I had the string lines. I actually got a pictures today in the daylight:






Thanks

Taylor

[glenn kangiser]

Do you think you need any kind of temporary threshold to keep water from running into the shed?

[soomb]

On a side note: a lot of white Jeep Cherokees popping up on the site.. eh Don?  (mine looks like MountainDon's)

Back on topic:  Great progress, and solo in the winter weather makes it all the more so.

[Taylor]

I do have a threshold for the shed, it is a solid PVC piece that I set there that the door seals on you can kinda of see it in the earlier pictures, I didn't have it on there in the last picture because I just painted the wood. I hope it will still help now that the floor is even out front there.

I just got that jeep a few weeks ago, but I love it. It will be great this winter when it snows.

Thanks for the compliment.

Taylor