20x30 in Cape Breton

Alasdair · May 14, 2010, 01:16:52 PM

Broke ground for the house yesterday. Planning on closing in the basement this summer and then working as and when we can afford it on the rest.
Got a local firm to excavate and back fill the basement and spread the remaining fill on the drive way which needs building up. They were not the cheapest but the work is excellent - won't take much fine tuning to set the footing forms up.

Some pics

The first scoop

The hole

Front frost wall hole

Footing steps

We hope to set the forms in the next few weeks and have the footings poured before the end of June. (Summer Holidays!)

Cheers,
Al, Anita and Sammy

cbc58 · May 14, 2010, 01:40:59 PM

another house? ..... on the same lot?

May 14, 2010, 02:29:02 PM

Nice toy, Al. Congrats on the groundbreaking.

As you probably know, the cheapest is not always the cheapest when all is said and done. If the person you hired did a good job in good time then you likely still got a good deal.

Looking forward to updates as you progress.

Beavers · May 15, 2010, 12:00:05 AM

You guys don't waste any time...is the paint even dry in your other house yet?

Looking forward to following along with your progress with this house too. I just hope I can get one house completely done before you get two done.

Alasdair · August 04, 2010, 04:53:58 PM

So as I told in the 12x24 thread, I put out a disc a while ago and the building has been on a back burner as a result of it. I guess the neighbours heard about it since last weekend they sent their kids around to see if they could help. Good of these young fellers to help an old timer out ...

they did pretty well too! Dead on square and only 1/8th of an inch for level! (Hope it stays that way with a few cubes of concrete in it!)

The inspector gave us the nod this morning so it's time to get out my pencil and figure out just how much grey stuff to put in there!

Al, Anita and Sammy

August 05, 2010, 11:23:41 AM

Just crunched the numbers and came up with 9.55 yards to fill the stepped footing. I've ordered 10 yards for Saturday and will make some forms for pavers in case there's a load left. I'd be interested to hear how much concrete others used for equivalent footings (mine are 24"x10" stepped for a walkout basement.
Cheers,
Al

glenn kangiser · August 05, 2010, 11:44:09 AM

That is great, Al... good neighbors too. Take it easy on the back.

The walk out basement looks like I may not be seeing everything... more digging later or built out a ways?

Alasdair · August 05, 2010, 11:52:09 AM

Glenn,
It should be something like these other country planners are doing in NH

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9045.msg119593;topicseen#msg119593

We are planning on an 8ft concrete wall at the back stepping down to a 4ft frost wall at the front. The front wall will be stick framed above this.
Does this make sense?
Al

glenn kangiser · August 05, 2010, 12:49:41 PM

Yes, I got it now. Thanks, Al.

Looks like a good plan. I'm not used to all of the cold weather stuff.

August 07, 2010, 02:15:07 PM

Poured the footings this morning. Same young fellers came out to help. I guess their mothers probably sent them over.

Was enough left over for some pavers and a new path for the shed.

The little one was hanging around the whole time...

Osprey · August 07, 2010, 08:58:33 PM

Quote from: Alasdair on August 05, 2010, 11:23:41 AM
Just crunched the numbers and came up with 9.55 yards to fill the stepped footing. I've ordered 10 yards for Saturday and will make some forms for pavers in case there's a load left. I'd be interested to hear how much concrete others used for equivalent footings (mine are 24"x10" stepped for a walkout basement.
Cheers,
Al

Yep 10 yards is what I ordered . I ended up with over a yard left over. If I remember right I think that was the same amount of concrete fror the basement slab as well

Your footers are a work of art compared to mine.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=6576.0

Why no rebar inserted into the wet concrete for the block? Must be planning on drilling the footers for them ?

glenn kangiser · August 08, 2010, 05:15:24 AM

Looks like you didn't even lose a form, Al. Good job.

That looks like fun...... got a spare chair so I could come and hang out a while? ...[waiting}

Alasdair · August 08, 2010, 07:08:10 AM

Glenn, you can come and hang out anytime we already have a hang out for grown ups...

Osprey, Just looked at your thread (We have had no internet connection for a loong time so I am way behind on everybody elses projects.) Great job!

Love the ceiling. Our plan is very similar to yours so I will be looking closely at your pictures.
The reason there are no bars sticking up is that we are going to pour the walls rather than build them with block. We looked at all options and decided in the end it was worth the extra cost. Also it is the standard round here so the inspectors get to stay in their comfort zone.
There is a keyway in the top of the footing to secure the wall.
Next week I will ring around for quotes and decide wheter we will sub out the walls, (my prefered option) rent forms and pour them ourselves, or build and recycle the forms as well ...

Osprey · August 08, 2010, 08:54:42 AM

That explains why no rebar. So the walls will just sit on top of the footers, no bolts or other physical connection except the "key" left after the wood is removed from the footer? Interesting, can't wait to see the finished walls.

My block walls have 1/2 inch rebar in every other hole. We poured the blocks solid with concrete.

August 08, 2010, 05:09:58 PM

My father in law helped me take the forms off today - looks pretty good a little bit of honey combing in a couple of places but nothing to write home about. I didn't have the energy left to take the pavers out of their forms. Planted a tree instead

see what I can get in the way of quotes for the walls tomorrow...

glenn kangiser · August 08, 2010, 06:09:32 PM

Thanks Al. Too bad you are on the other side of the world or I would drop in soon.

That's good for you though. The current occupant of the hang out looks so much better than I do. [ouch]

The footings look good.

Alasdair · August 21, 2010, 10:43:18 AM

Some pictures of the wall forms going up. Raining today so we decided to try and pour them on Monday afternoon.

Alasdair · August 24, 2010, 10:52:19 AM

Poured yesterday afternoon and all seems to have gone well. A couple of exciting moments but nothing insurmountable.

Forms braced and ready for pouring

Anita making paver forms

The moment of truth.

I'm going to take a day off and start to strip the forms tommorow
Al

glenn kangiser · August 24, 2010, 12:15:30 PM

Good Job, Al. Forms are still vertical and I don't see any massive blowouts.

Bobmarlon · August 24, 2010, 07:21:54 PM

Congrats, the feeling at the end of pour day is a good one. Now on to the stuff we all know you've been looking forward to.

August 29, 2010, 07:29:36 PM

Finally got the forms off.

Seems like my fashion sense is catching on too...

Sourdo · September 04, 2010, 10:07:28 AM

A nice job on the foundation! The most important part of a new home is a solid foundation and your off to a great start.

sourdo

John Raabe · September 04, 2010, 12:33:17 PM

Nice looking basement. That should be around for awhile!

glenn kangiser · September 05, 2010, 12:43:23 PM

Looks great, Al. The fashion sense... the only place the suspenders like your partners would do me any good would be to hold my pants up, and I just don't do suspenders.... the ladies will just have to suffer.....

oh yeah - and I don't have a back problem either so the brace would only be to make me look tough... I'm tough enough looking already though...

PEG688 · September 05, 2010, 03:13:59 PM

Looks nice, sort of odd to soldier the from panels , never seen it done that way? Doesn't make it wrong , no , just different I guess

I'd just rather not see a form line every two feet for the rest of the foundations life. Generally the top panel is a full two feet wide, and most , if not all, of that top seam line is buried so you only see a form line every 8 feet or at foundation step downs/ ups.