A timber frame cabin memoir

[ponytug]

@dstig1 Great advice! For belt and suspenders, there are bentonite / plastic rolls like Paraseal that go against the waterproofing material and form a thicker, tougher layer, then the dimple drain layer, then the gravel backfill. The bentonite clay has self healing/self sealing properties.

All the best,

Peter

 

[caver]

I may have not mentioned I worked for my dad in my early to late teens pouring basements. We called it tar and rock but it was a non fibrous tar like coating that dad eventually found an industiral sprayer that would put it on. I did learn about Form-A-Drain a few years ago watching a video. What turned me off of it was a 12" footing would need two sections stacked. Or a form board and then FAD. I believe my contractor is forming the footings. In our day the area had a nice clay we would often dig the footings in.

 

[caver]

They sent me a picture of two of my bents out of four total. Outside leg to outside leg is 21'-9" for a sense of scale.

 

[caver]

After that cold blast around Christmas he managed to get my footings poured just over a week ago with some mild weather. Two days later they got the walls formed up enough so I can still fill floor with rock. I did a good chunk of that yesterday with the tractor and hope to go back to finish tomorrow. I forgot to take a photo yesterday.

 

[caver]

Wednesday the ground got dry enough to get the pump truck and mixer trucks up to pour the basement. I had a time lapse set up with my Virb camera but the battery ran out of steam prematurely resulting in 5 seconds of time lapse. They had started to unload the first truck. Wha wu wahh. 4 trucks and about 28 yards of concrete $4K and some change. There was about a yard or slightly more left over. We had to use Dynamic Concrete Pumping out of St James MO. That bill was $1,4XX. There just aren't any options where my place is and they had to drive maybe 85 miles? My contractor got concrete out of Salem from Kienstra. I asked why so far away and he's not been happy with the quality from Stewart Morrison which was bought up by BMC. Don't blink or you will miss the action Concrete Timelapse (very short)

 

[caver]

This is about 12 days after the floor was poured and the first time I've seen it since the day they poured. Lots of long hairline cracks. I arrived after the last truck had left. He later informed me they utilized more crew VS a pump truck. Interesting as the back was setting up faster than the front (2 loads) when I arrived. I hope it doesn't get worse but not impressed and will likely hire someone else to finish the slabs in my old shed.

 

[ponytug]

You have my sympathies. Was it covered with plastic or a tarp to keep it wet?

All the best, Peter

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Any control joints, zip strips? Was it covered?

 

[caver]

No is my answer to all questions. Truck was coming from the Salem MO batch plant since he doesn't like the local outfits. He did say he had them put hot water in which I thought was odd....or he didn't want to be out there 10pm at night finally getting a power trowel on it. Low to mid 50's after it was poured and it probably got down to upper 30's at night. I never did flat work with my dad as he always subbed it out to another crew.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

All concrete will crack, that’s why you need control joints. Even my front porch has some hair line cracks in the middle because control joints were a little too far apart at 13 ft.