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Although this new house
will be relatively small, it presented a variety of challenges.
The property is located in an old creek bed so DIRTCO trenched
under the house footprint to create a water barrier beneath the
foundation.
Our crew did the excavation,
steel tying, form building, concrete placement, and concrete finish
to stain grade.
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The first minor challenge
is the lots location on a hillside. |
| In the beginning the
Bobcat does the initial clearing to create room to work.
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The first stage of excavation
begins to shape the project at the approximate elevation for the
house. |
| The amount of earth
that needed to be removed dictated using heavier equipment. |
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The DIRTCO equipment
operators work in tandem to prepare the lot quickly. |
| The backhoe is used
to shape the perimeter for forming. |
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The Bobcat continues
to shape the lot to the position of the coming slab. |
| An additional setback
is dug to provide room for bracing the forms. |
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String lines mark the
layout for the concrete forms. |
| This foundation will
have several levels making the correct layout for the forms more
challenging. |
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The sloping terrain
combined with the proximity of the water table called for reinforcing
the surrounding soil with concrete piers. |
| The footers are dug
by hand to a greater depth than normal to stabilize the foundation
due to the old creek bed. |
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Prefrabricated forms
are lowered into the deep footer trenches and braced. |
| The forms are checked
for vertical plumb and square corners. |
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Each run is reinforced
because of the depth and braced for greater strength when pouring
the concrete. |
| The different levels
of this foundation require a variety of bracing methods. |
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The concrete forming
grows in complexity with each level of the foundation. |
| As work progresses each
section is rechecked for level and square. |
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Center footings are
also dug to add strength and rigidity to the surface. |
| The short rises in the
foundation call for bracing that is strong enough to hold the concrete
without interferring with pouring the adjacent lower level. |
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Placing the sandbags
along the edges allows the concrete to expand and contract over
time. |
| Sandbags also provide
a barrier to prevent the surface layer of fill material from spilling
into the footer trench. |
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Each level of this foundation
requires a little different placement of bags. |
| When the sandbags are
in place around the edge for each level the surface material fill
is added. |
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This completed footer
is adjacent to a higher level. |
| This opposite view illustrates
the drop from one level to the next. |
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Compacting the subsurface
is essential in any foundation slab. |
| Materials are scheduled
to arrive throughout the project. With the subsurface near completion
a load of steel arrives. |
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Many residential projects
present a challenge for heavy equipment and the delivery of materials.
In this case power lines and tree limbs make it difficult for the
dump truck. |
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DIRTCO
recommends you examine the location of utility lines, easements,
set back requirements and code restrictions before starting any
project.
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A moisture barrier is
rolled into the footers for this project to prevent ground water
from seeping under the foundation. |
| Rebar is tied together
over the plastic for each level. |
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The surface steel includes
vertical rods to tie in the footers. |
| With the reinforcing
steel in place, the foundation is ready for concrete. |
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Concrete is poured into
the footers first making sure it settles to the bottom before moving
on to the surface slab. |
| For this multi-level
foundation, the top level is poured and floated first. |
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An angled brace keeps
the inside corner of the top level square but creates a challenge
in floating the lower one. |
| Moving down each level
is filled with concrete and floated. |
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Concrete finishers are
used to provide a smooth surface that will accomodate any type of
flooring. |
| Long steel rods remain
to tie the final intermediate level to the main foundation. PVC
stubs for plumbing are ready when the framing begins. |
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As the concrete cures
the small landing level can be framed and poured. |
| With the concrete cured
and the forms removed, the finished product emerges from the tangle
of wood and steel ready to begin buiding a house. |
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Call DIRTCO Construction
at 512-844-4366
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DIRTCO
Home Page
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