AZ ranch

[BoFuller]

What is the reason for the sloped footing? It looks like a pain to trim the block to fit.

Dave

I agree. I think it would be a pain, but that's he way this guy works. I asked my engineer and my inspector, and they both said it doesn't matter. It's all filled with rebar and concrete in the end. The guy is one of the most recommended and was also one of the lower bids. I'm paying for total foundation, not by the block, nor the hour, so it doesn't matter to me.
He had the footer poured into a trench, and says its too hard to get it level, so he prefers to cut. It was new to me, but I haven't done any building in 25 years, so I expect a lot of things will be new to me.
A lot of what he does is in remote locations, dirt roads, and hours from the batch plant. The plans also called for 4,000 concrete, so available finishing time was not very long.

 

[955Lincoln]

That's so bizarre.

 

[BoFuller]

This morning I had to put a new battery in the telehandler. Then I gave it a lube job - which took 3 tubes of grease. Then we took the chainsaw to about a dozen trees, trimming the lower ten feet so we can drive the tractor under them. Lots of bushy branches - means bonfire tonight! Still killing time waiting for the foundation to be finished! I can't wait to set that first course of logs!!!

 

[Pieter78]

I liked reading about your project.

 

[Beltman60]

Just keep a good attitude
soon the ball will start moving and your dream will come alive

 

[MoKelly]

No permit for a bon-fire? Just kidding.

Looks great.

MoKelly

 

[BoFuller]

For awhile the County had a No Fires rule, but since its rained everyday for a couple weeks, the ban has been lifted.
Now I'm in Orlando for a week of business meetings. I'd much rather be at our Ranch, but duty calls.

 

[BoFuller]

Foundation is 90% done. Calling for inspection for Monday and then pour the concrete to fill the walls on Tuesday. Then I can start on the flashing and the sill plate. Progress!

 

[weldingisfun]

One step closer. Looking forward to seeing the build. Bo, are you sure your name isn't Job (the one from the Bible)?

 

[BoFuller]

Five weeks later and not an inch further.

It rained almost every day for a month and the workers couldn't get in - too muddy. Then the inspector said there had to be a clean out hole in every block on the bottom row, to verify the grout made it all the way down. The contractor did about a third of it but couldn't reach the rest. He had a backhoe guy come up to dig the trenches wider but he wouldn't have any part of it, digging that close to an ungrouted wall. He feared the slightest bump could send it crumbling. I found I could get to the bottom row using my right angle drill, so he is suppose to finish it tomorrow. It's been over 4 months that he has been working on this foundation. So much for having the walls up this year.

 

[hddnis]

By "grout" do you mean that they fill the wall with concrete?



Mr. HE

 

[BoFuller]

By "grout" do you mean that they fill the wall with concrete?

Mr. HE

Exactly! Maybe a regional term?

 

[BoFuller]

Contractor showed up this morning and cut the rest of the holes. He said he will call for an inspection tomorrow!

 

[Cat_Driver]

I just spent an hour reading everything and my first thought id fore protection. Either some sort of an underground shelter, with appropriate protection, air, water etc. Fores have been rampant lately including AZ where the 13 firefighters were killed. Also look into some sort of fire tank and have 10-15K gallons of water with a small generator, pump available for fire protection. Yes I know it cost money, but you are on yoru own till help arrives. No I don't recommend fighting a forest fire, but if your house caught fire you could use your own power and pump with your own fire hose to take care of business.

There was an Alaska show where this guy built a log cabin in a week or so, and how he did it was once the log was stacked - he ran a chain saw between the two logs, thereby giving both logs a perfect mate between them. Made perfect sense to be. It got rid of the imperfection on both logs at the same time.

For lighting go 100% LED, uses almost NO POWER. I bought some led yard lights they burn 60 watts ad throw as much light as the 500 watt HOT lights.

 

[BoFuller]

Thanks. I have 3 water tanks with 2500 gallons each and two pumps. I converted my trailer to all LED about a year ago and really cut our power consumption.
Meanwhile, the crew showed up today and grouted my foundation walls! Woo Hoo !!! Finally.
I can't attach a picture because the TBN site is joining the list of forums that require access to all your photos. Why do they want or need this????

 

[MotorSeven]

I don't store any photo's with TBN. All mine are on Photobucket & once there I click on the "direct link" & copy it. Here on TBN paste it in the "URL" box, not the "From Computer" box.

 

[BoFuller]

There was an Alaska show where this guy built a log cabin in a week or so, and how he did it was once the log was stacked - he ran a chain saw between the two logs, thereby giving both logs a perfect mate between them. Made perfect sense to be. It got rid of the imperfection on both logs at the same time.

Ahh, imperfections. I think they add character. I'm not striving for the perfect looking house. I love big knots here and there.

 

[BoFuller]

I just spent an hour reading everything and my first thought id fore protection. Either some sort of an underground shelter, with appropriate protection, air, water etc. Fores have been rampant lately including AZ where the 13 firefighters were killed. Also look into some sort of fire tank and have 10-15K gallons of water with a small generator, pump available for fire protection. Yes I know it cost money, but you are on yoru own till help arrives. No I don't recommend fighting a forest fire, but if your house caught fire you could use your own power and pump with your own fire hose to take care of business.

I've been looking for a used fire truck for over a year. Lots out there, just haven't found the perfect one yet.

 

[BoFuller]

So now my walls are grouted (filled with concrete), it's time to replace some of the soil I had taken out of the crawl space. The backhoe guy went a little overboard and dug down to the bottom of the footers instead of the top. But now I have rebar sticking 4 feet up in the air every 30 inches, so it's a little difficult to get the backhoe bucket in there. My concrete guy says no problem, just bend over the rebar. I'm not too excited about bending my rebar, as every bend makes it weaker (IMHO).
Any experience with this out there?

 

[Dr Dave]

You can use the extra soil inside the crawl space, to fill the low spots. Use a tiller to loosen it up and backfill with a shovel.

Dave