Monday, January 17, 2022

Basement Expansion Part 18

If you read my last post, you'll be well aware that my blog is running about six weeks behind, mainly because I fell way off schedule when I was making videos of the basement project. The work in this post was done in the two weeks after Thanksgiving. My business is traditionally slower at this time of year which gives me extra time to (literally) chip away at ongoing projects.

You might think, after the last few posts, that we are done with digging out dirt....well not exactly. The perimeter is complete though, so I began on this occasion by installing rebar at the last section of the perimeter foundation.

Once that was done, I built forms for (hopefully) the last time, and sealed them with expandable foam. 

Amy Sheep was not around to help mix concrete, so I had to move on to the next thing....which meant more blinkin' digging!  Obviously we have a sump pump, but under the wettest conditions, which we do get occasionally, water needs to be rapidly directed to the sump pit. In other words, time to dig some drainage channels. The main channel runs inside the perimeter foundation at the long side (27 feet) so I started there. Ultimately I am aiming for a slope of ¼ inch per foot towards the sump pump, but to start with I am just establishing a straight channel.

A second channel runs from the area in front of the concrete stairs, and meets the primary channel at its mid-point. The two junctions are 45 degrees, so I took some measurements and made marks with spray paint before I broke ground. 

The third channel runs along the wall which divides the basement from the garage and runs directly to the sump pit.


After much jackhammering, spading, and wheelbarrowing, all without any assistance from Amy Sheep, the channels were declared complete. 



The timber box that I installed in the original sump pit absolutely forever ago is now visible. I may need to alter the depth of the box once the drain pipes are installed. 


By the time all this was done, a considerable number of days had elapsed, and Amy Sheep was once more available to help mix concrete. It's hard to tell in the next photo, but this is after the concrete has been poured. If you look very carefully you can see water seeping though the pores in the plywood forms.


The photo below was taken a few days later after the concrete has partially cured and the forms have been removed. And just like that, the concrete perimeter is complete!


Keep your browser pointed in this direction to see where the basement expands to next...

No comments:

Post a Comment