Life with Jane

[ronjhall]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

I’ve had to go to the phone for photos.

Neighbor has a Cardinal nest next to her deck.

Getting closed to the pour.

Curtis, does your RV fit in the building?

[Brob]

Glad I was able to give some helpful information.

The burnishing with the power trowel is pretty simple while the machine is on site. It's just a matter of running it over the slab a few more passes than "normal". Most of the time a concrete finisher gets the slab "flat" and they call it done, which is perfectly fine for tile, carpet, hardwood, etc., but for a finished slab, you want to get the trowel on there a couple more times. We mist the slab ahead of the trowel, you can see it closing up further as it goes. You will get darker swirls as this is happening; those swirls of course blend in more as the concrete cures, but they remain to the extent that they provide a very nice character to the floor. By the second or third pass beyond the "flat" finish, you'll notice a bit of a sheen on the surface. This reflectivity will remain as the slab cures, and is pretty much the same as what a diamond pad of 400-600 grit provides during a polish. I usually try to stop clients at an 800 grit when polishing as anything above that becomes a maintenance issue. A 400-800 honed finish provides a nice subtle reflectivity similar to a travertine finish. You can polish concrete to a 3000 or more and get a mirror finish; it also shows every speck of dust and every footprint that touches it. The honed finish is much easier to care for as it doesn't show every little detail. So unless you have a full-time maid, I think you will be pretty happy with a burnished slab.

[ronspradley]

Great progress Harvey. My schedule is a little in flux because of the tropical whatever in the Gulf. This morning prediction is to dump three inches of rain near Memphis. I was wanting to spend some time in Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis Arkansas. They are still closed this morning due to previous flood stage waters on the Mississippi. But I have not changed plans in Texas. Just keeping an eye on the sky. Still guessing July 24th.



ron and pebbles

[okmunky]

With temperatures like that you might as well be in Yuma. It’s forecast to be 105* wth 20% humidity. Please be careful, Harvey!

[Curtis in TX]

Originally Posted by ronjhall

Getting closed to the pour.

Curtis, does your RV fit in the building?

Easily! It's parked behind the 12' X 12" door on the right.
My Big Girl is 37' long and that bay is 50 feet deep.

.

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by Curtis in TX

Easily! It's parked behind the 12' X 12" door on the right.
My Big Girl is 37' long and that bay is 50 feet deep.

.

Cuz has a 99 Dutch Star and they have to drop the air bags to get it through their 12’ X 12’ door. They’re all over me about going 14’ high, who knows, ship might come in and I end up with a modern motorhome.

I get four men today and five tomorrow to do the slab prep. We’re looking right now at pouring next Wednesday. I think I’ll take a five day nap afterwards.

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by Brob

Glad I was able to give some helpful information.

The burnishing with the power trowel is pretty simple while the machine is on site. It's just a matter of running it over the slab a few more passes than "normal". Most of the time a concrete finisher gets the slab "flat" and they call it done, which is perfectly fine for tile, carpet, hardwood, etc., but for a finished slab, you want to get the trowel on there a couple more times. We mist the slab ahead of the trowel, you can see it closing up further as it goes. You will get darker swirls as this is happening; those swirls of course blend in more as the concrete cures, but they remain to the extent that they provide a very nice character to the floor. By the second or third pass beyond the "flat" finish, you'll notice a bit of a sheen on the surface. This reflectivity will remain as the slab cures, and is pretty much the same as what a diamond pad of 400-600 grit provides during a polish. I usually try to stop clients at an 800 grit when polishing as anything above that becomes a maintenance issue. A 400-800 honed finish provides a nice subtle reflectivity similar to a travertine finish. You can polish concrete to a 3000 or more and get a mirror finish; it also shows every speck of dust and every footprint that touches it. The honed finish is much easier to care for as it doesn't show every little detail. So unless you have a full-time maid, I think you will be pretty happy with a burnished slab.

The burnish is on the schedule. As of right now we’re going to just burnish the living area. Another bud told me it was a great idea but keep in mind that the surface will be slick as a tile floor.

One of the ideas in the back of the mind was not going conventional on the A/C heat. I’m hoping that between the closed cell foam etc I should have a pretty tight apartment weatherwise. Supposedly the future of A/C is individual room units. Adopted son said that’s all they use in South Africa. Yesterday we dropped the Bravada off for a/c work. Their office was like walking into a walk in freezer. There up on one wall was a quietly running unit they say has no problem keeping the room comfortable even though the doors are opened and closed all day long even on the hottest of days. I’m sold.

[Brob]

Yes, the mini-split heat pumps are super efficient and almost silent; even the condenser unit is nearly silent. I have been using a brand "Mr Cool" on a number of projects over the past few years. They are very efficient, almost silent, have a good warranty, and are priced well. All of the ones I have installed have been relatively trouble free; one unit that didn't get used over the winter got a dirt dauber nest on the outside fan blade and caused a vibration, but no manufacturer issues.
I would recommend that you get the wall mount brackets for the outside unit; makes for a much tidier install and keeps everything off the ground. The units come complete with line set and wiring; you just have to connect the condenser to 220v disconnect box. If you have access to a vacuum pump, this is a DIY install.

[guardrail53]

Harvey, all we have over here in Thailand are mini-splits! They work great, are efficient, and cool a room off easily! We have the inverter models, with built in heat pumps, and you almost can't here them run! The inverter models are most definitely the way to go, much more efficient! Rail,! 🌵

[Wroughtnharv]

I’ve got to figure out this leg cramp thing. Tuesday and Wednesday I drank two liter bottles of Sam’s Club Smart Water. No cramps. Thursday I drank none of that water and Thursday night I had leg cramps. Yesterday I drank two bottles and twice in the night, leg cramps. Old age has removed a lot of the muscle bulk so the cramps are closer to the bone and I swear more painful.

I eat mustard when they wake me up. When I can’t get that down I drink pickle juice. I’ve got the leg cramp magic pills advertised on the telly. They worked for a couple of times and now they don’t.

Today we’ll have six men on the job. We’ve got the rebar to install and then we’ll be ready for the pour. Hopefully they will be done today and Wednesday we’ll pour. We were supposed to have a five man crew today but last night I got a text, “can I add a man tomorrow?”

“Tawayno (ok)” was my reply.

“What kind of language is that?”

“Ta bueno, spanglish”

was his reply.

I love texting. It’s the universal language.

There’s two twenty somethings on the crew, definitely Chicano, not Mexicano. They can’t eat spicey food. We were all wore slick yesterday.

One of the Bob Whites got killed on the road yesterday early. The other one called and called, it was a heart breaking sound yesterday evening.

[Curtis in TX]

Originally Posted by Brob

Yes, the mini-split heat pumps are super efficient and almost silent; even the condenser unit is nearly silent. I have been using a brand "Mr Cool" on a number of projects over the past few years. They are very efficient, almost silent, have a good warranty, and are priced well. All of the ones I have installed have been relatively trouble free; one unit that didn't get used over the winter got a dirt dauber nest on the outside fan blade and caused a vibration, but no manufacturer issues.
I would recommend that you get the wall mount brackets for the outside unit; makes for a much tidier install and keeps everything off the ground. The units come complete with line set and wiring; you just have to connect the condenser to 220v disconnect box. If you have access to a vacuum pump, this is a DIY install.

Perfect timing.

My Ac/ heat unit went out yesterday afternoon on our guest house.
The painter was spraying the bathrooms in the main house and the air was so full of paint fumes we had to move into the guest house and bring the cats.

The AC unit ran about an hour then the fan quit working. Compressor runs but no fan. I find the power cord died at the wall plug in. Fix that and it starts working again like normal. 15 minutes later the fan stops blowing again. It's too hot in the day to fix.

It's a Window unit and I've always hated it. It's loud and ugly. Sticks out of the Window on the street side of the house like a big ugly birthmark .


Spent the night sleeping in the guest house with a fan blowing on me from an open Window.

Gotta find a quieter and .more attractive AC/ Heater for this 700 Sq ft guest apartment today.

I can't breath in the house with my asthma issues.
Tried sleeping in the RV, but that was too noisy too..

[ronjhall]

Betty has found relief from leg cramps with Schweppes Tonic Water. She finds it at Kroger. Refuses to do mustard and pickle juice.
Hope you get the rebar in today. Then take a couple of days rest before pour.

[Brob]

One thing I have done on a number of projects here in Florida is to install hydronic tubing in the slab. Basically a coil of PEX tubing in each room that terminates in the mechanical area. This is a very efficient way to heat in cool weather, and surprisingly, it goes a good way in helping maintain cool. I set the homes up so that in summer, any cold water that is used first goes through the coils in the slab. The cool well water picks up heat from the concrete slab and deposits it in your tub or sink. The water at the tap is noticeably warmer than what comes directly out of the well, and you can certainly feel the difference in the floor.

The PEX is relatively inexpensive, and in the winter a warm floor can make a cool room feel pretty comfortable.

[okmunky]

Harvey, have you tried magnesium supplements to stop leg cramps? 270-350 mg/day is the dose. Also stretching those muscles before bed and using a heating pad for 30 minutes after you lie down. Also good arch support in your shoes. I swear by my Dr Schol's. Got them at Walmart after standing on their machine in the pharmacy area.

I know those hurt like hades!