Life with Jane

[ronjhall]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

They’re gone, time for nap

Looks good. Even at 83 yards. Lot of concrete.

[Lloyd in S.C.]

Wow, that's a lot of concrete!!!!

Looks like you had a great crew on that!

L.

[ronspradley]

Looks really good Harvey. Do you have to cover the slab to control the rate of cure?


ron and pebbles

[guardrail53]

Looking good, Harvey! I bet you need a nap!
Rail!

[Wroughtnharv]

Glenda will try to keep the slab wet today to slow down the cure. I have to go to Farmersville and grab some steel for a project for a friend that I’m trying to squeeze in while the concrete is curing.

We’re in a de-compression mode right now. It’s been a roller coaster for awhile now getting to this point.

So tomorrow we pull the forms. I also have to cut all of the pipe stubs at 3/4”. Some might have noticed that they weren’t all straight coming out of the concrete. Since they were being cut off so close I wasn’t concerned about being plumb coming up or having an exact location because the plates are 8” X 12” and the pipe has to only be in that small area to be effective. One of the things we have to accept is that we can’t totally control everything. Concrete guys are one of those things. All they are concerned about is the finish and viability of their “rock”. These guys got that down in spades.

One of the neighbors is a project manager on big projects like schools etc. He told me last night that he met some of the neighbors while grocery shopping. The topic of conversation was my overkill on building the slab. He supported my position that the one thing you can’t over build is the slab.

There was one huge screw up. I did it and it might be a very expensive oops on my part. Last night as we were watering it down Glenda confirmed an opinion that she had mentioned but not loud enough to break through to me. I put the plumbing location for the kitchen island too close to the back wall. I have it at five and a half feet, don’t ask me why, looked good to me. It needs to be at least seven feet to have good working room for prep in the kitchen. So this evening I will take a concrete saw and do what has to be done to make it right. The kitchen is her dream and we’re going to make it perfect for her. We had them burnish the slab so we wouldn’t necessarily have to use floor coverings. The patch will change that. My mistake, stuff happens. We fix it and move on.

One of the funnest comments I get to make about the new building is “Jane gets her own bedroom!”

[Wroughtnharv]

This is a low down shot of pipes in the slab.

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

This is a low down shot of pipes in the slab.

This is a typical installation of the pipes. The pieces were cut about 30” long and then I drilled three holes in each one offsetting the holes. One of the holes would always have a piece of rebar bent at a right angle so I could tie it to the grid. The other two holes just had pieces of rebar stuck through. I think there is 29 of these. Most of them are sitting on top of a pier.

Just a little piece of not necessary but interesting information. I used one 1/2” drill bit and it was still cutting great after approximately 90 holes, Harbor Freight bit too.

[cwk]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

We had them burnish the slab so we wouldn’t necessarily have to use floor coverings. The patch will change that.

Two thoughts jump to mind:

1) Is there room inside the island cabinet to reroute the pipes? (Or, is the current location completely out in the open?)

2) If this is a work area where Glenda will spend some time with food prep, maybe a cushioned, non-slip floor mat/covering strategically located will conceal the patch. The mat/covering might be made to the length of the island, as opposed to a small piece just over the patch. It would be part of the overall safety-conscious dream kitchen design. Well, someone did mention that the concrete floor might be slippery when wet.

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by cwk

Two thoughts jump to mind:

1) Is there room inside the island cabinet to reroute the pipes? (Or, is the current location completely out in the open?)

2) If this is a work area where Glenda will spend some time with food prep, maybe a cushioned, non-slip floor mat/covering strategically located will conceal the patch. The mat/covering might be made to the length of the island, as opposed to a small piece just over the patch. It would be part of the overall safety-conscious dream kitchen design. Well, someone did mention that the concrete floor might be slippery when wet.

Awesome idea!!!

[ronjhall]

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

Awesome idea!!!

Checked out kitchen island location. 5.5" will put the drain pipe in kick area of cabinets. Our distance between cabinets counter tops is 36".

[Brob]

Make a neat cut and burnish the repair. You can do a good burnish by hand with a pool trowel. Of course it will look slightly different as no two batches of concrete are the same, but if it's level with the rest of the floor it won't be a bad thing, it will add character. With it being in the toe-kick area, it will likely not be noticeable unless you are looking for it; and as previously mentioned, that would be a fine spot for a mat.

[ronspradley]

I also like the idea of a mat to cover the area. When I am making a woodworking project and screw something up (this happens with astonishing regularity) I see if I can fix it to where it will not be noticeable. If that is not possible, I highlight it and call it a feature.

ron and pebbles

[Wroughtnharv]

We love the idea of a mat. And Ron your island is beautiful.

Now the good news. The lines have been exposed and this morning I will perform the colon extension and arterial relocation. Then I will do the skin graft to hide the scar. Forms removal will follow. A man has to do what a man has to do. And mama is a very happy camper, and when mama’s happy........

Yesterday late morning I was in Farmersville loading up 33’ long 12” X 2” 14 ga galvanized C purlins for a friend’s project. Two of us old farts loading up them puppies and I was the healthy but older one. I was beat by the time I got them back to Ambrose, a couple of miles from Thereabouts. All I wanted to do was drop off the trailer and go home for some cold water and a nap.

My day was just getting interesting. Bud’s place had a nice grass fire going. He had left a burn pile unattended from a couple of days earlier, flared up in the wind. He was gone so I found a two gallon weed sprayer and went to work, and it was work. One of the tricks I learned welding in the country was the value of a weed sprayer when fighting grass fires. An hour later it was all taken care of.

While we’re waiting for our slab to cure out this week I’m going to help bud build a 20’ X 60’ cantilevered steel shed off of one of his barns. This is so he can set up his floor manufacturing equipment. He’s been harvesting oak for years and he’s going to be processing it into flooring for his 5000 sf home. Ron will be like a tailless pup in a rest home full of rocking chairs at bud’s. 1865 house on a hill that’s had at least two men working full time for the last nine years remodeling. And the sawmill with all of its treasures for him to ooh and ahh over.

[ronjhall]

Looks like you may have things back under control. .