Just had a big hole dug in my front yard

[Iplayfarmer]

I just had a big hole dug in my front yard. It was the first time I'd seen my wife more excited about a tractor than I was. We're adding a separate entrance so that we can add a hair salon in the unfinished part of the basement.

While we're digging the hole anyway we're enlarging our porch and putting a room under it. Since we're tearing up the rest of the basement in the process of adding the extra room under the porch we're putting in a bathroom, moving all of the water utilities (pump, water heater, water softener) and replacing the old furnace.

We've subcontracted the concrete, plumbing, and some of the electrical. I'm doing the gas line for the new furnace and water heater, and I have a brother in law who will come and help us do the framing and most of the rest of the electrical.

The pictures are about a day behind. The concrete guys have the walls all framed up now. It's supposed to get into the single digits tonight, so they'll poor tomorrow afternoon. Once they get the walls poured they're going to cut the holes for the doors. I'll have about a two day window to get anything in through the doors that can't go around a corner. I think the only thing that fits that category right now is the tub and surround. After they cut the doors, they are going to put the porch cap on.

 

[dcyrilc]

I just had a big hole dug in my front yard. It was the first time I'd seen my wife more excited about a tractor than I was. We're adding a separate entrance so that we can add a hair salon in the unfinished part of the basement.

While we're digging the hole anyway we're enlarging our porch and putting a room under it. Since we're tearing up the rest of the basement in the process of adding the extra room under the porch we're putting in a bathroom, moving all of the water utilities (pump, water heater, water softener) and replacing the old furnace.

We've subcontracted the concrete, plumbing, and some of the electrical. I'm doing the gas line for the new furnace and water heater, and I have a brother in law who will come and help us do the framing and most of the rest of the electrical.

The pictures are about a day behind. The concrete guys have the walls all framed up now. It's supposed to get into the single digits tonight, so they'll poor tomorrow afternoon. Once they get the walls poured they're going to cut the holes for the doors. I'll have about a two day window to get anything in through the doors that can't go around a corner. I think the only thing that fits that category right now is the tub and surround. After they cut the doors, they are going to put the porch cap on.

Lookin good. Just don't forget that the door's not usable right now. That first step is a doosey! LOL

 

[Willl]

Awesome project.

"cut the door" as in your existing basement wall ?
....................................................................................................................................................................
((OT, why is "cut" automatically underlined with dots ?))

 

[20 20]

there is nothing QUITE like nothing

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Do you get any moisture in the basement there? Looking at those pictures I see a layer of sand and gravel about 2' down from the surface. Are you sealing the walls up pretty good or putting in a sump? Just curious myself because I am on a hillside with moisture wicking down so I have to drain it away.
Does look pretty cool though.

 

[2manyrocks]

Looks downright cold with that snow. I was tickled to get my block work done before it turned cold here. I can't imagine doing your project right now.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

We're in the middle of a January Thaw right now. We've had above freezing temperatures almost every day for a few weeks now. It's about over, though; and I'm glad to have the concrete almost done. This time of year is so much easier for coordinting schedules of subcontractors. Everyone is begging for work. We didn't have to talk too much to convince the concrete guy to do his part. Everyone else jumped at the chance to be busy.

Willl, We are cutting two doors in our existing basement wall. One is for the entrance, and the other is to get into the storage room. We actually had them cut this morning. The slabs are still standing in the openings, but the saw kerf is letting a little cold air in. We just bought doors tonight, but we won't get them until early next week. My wife wanted a different window than what was in the one, so the door guy is sending it off to the window guy to get it done the way she wants it.

No idea on the dots.

Treemonkey, we do get sub. We are one of the few houses in this area with a basement. The house was built long before building codes, permits, or inspectors. We have a sump in the basement already, but we'll probably have to move it due to the bathroom plumbing. I'm putting in a french drain at the bottom of the stairs, and I'm afraid in late summer it may be more like an artesian well. Usually I can control the ground water by running my sand-point irrigation well regularly.

The walls are poured today. I'll see if I can post some more pictures tomorrow.

 

[EddieWalker]

Great project and so many things in it that I don't have a clue about!!! Those are my favorite type of threads. How do you support the house when cutting out the doors?

Do you tie in the new slab with the existing one? or do they float seperately from each other? Then how about the walls? are they tied into the existing walls? how? What makes it all watertight?

All that basement, underground type work is just totally out of my league.

Eddie

 

[Scotty370]

You've got more guts than me, taking on that magnitude a project in the dead of winter, but I understand the benefit of the 'hungry' contractors!! Good Luck! It'll be awesome! ~Scotty

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Great project and so many things in it that I don't have a clue about!!! Those are my favorite type of threads. How do you support the house when cutting out the doors?

We will frame in a door, and it will have the same support as any other wall. Right now we have the slab still in the wall. I don't think it's providing any support, but if something were to sag it would go less than 1/8".

Do you tie in the new slab with the existing one? or do they float seperately from each other? Then how about the walls? are they tied into the existing walls? how? What makes it all watertight?

All that basement, underground type work is just totally out of my league.

Eddie

Here's what I know. I tell the concrete guys what shape I want, and they make it.

I'm not sure about tieing in the new slab. I know that they sunk rebar into the existing walls where the new walls meet up. They may have done the same thing with the footings and floor. I didn't see that part. There are no forms against the house, so I'm guessing that they rely on the adhesion of the new concrete to the old concrete for tightness.