Power room slab
We got the ring beam done for the power room slab last weekend and it does sit at least 150mm proud of where the slab base was to be. It took us nearly 7 hours of continuous mixing and pouring to get the job done. We kept a wet edge by alternately pouring in 2 spots and dragging the concrete around the formwork to distribute it. This weekend we’ll get back to it and pour the slab itself. After 7 days of curing we will then start with the walls.
Tonight I’m doing a test run of over-nighting by heading up after work and sleeping in the back of the old truck. I’ve put in an elevated platform that easily supports a double sized air bed so I am confident it will be comfortable enough to sleep on, the weather conditions will however be another matter. I won’t waste the time up there and will spend time back filling and compacting inside the ring beam. From our soil tests I know we have minimal clay and shrinkage due to drying out is less than 1% and this leaves me confident in adding the subsoil, wetting then compacting it as the back fill. I will avoid adding large rocks as they will create voids that may lead to issues later.
I still have to work (albeit with a much later start) despite it being Australia Day public holiday tomorrow, so this will be a good test of our organisation in terms of Elise having everything ready to go when I get home as well as planning for the overnight stays in terms of food, drink and other supplies. The new flat floor leaves me a huge area with 260mm of clearance to stash tools and materials under so they can remain hidden from view and I won’t need to empty everything before heading off to work.