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Hello all,
As so many have done before me, I've lurked and read, and wondered, and had answered (without asking) so many questions on this forum. Thank you all.
I should probably still be reading and not doing, but patience isn't my greatest virtue.
I started my build 3 weeks ago, but a general lack of confidence in my building abilities lead me to originally decide not to post.... Well I've changed my mind...
My mistakes might save someone else the same headaches, so I'll embarrass myself in a public forum
Who knows, but my general lack of ability combined with my willingness to act, might inspire some other lurker to spring into action.
On to the build -
I had planned on simply installing a floating slab on some sono tubes... and asked my brother-in-law if he would give me a hand...That's when the real work started....
He insisted on footings 4.5' deep and block foundation walls in return for his help... We get severe frost along with considerable snow, and he pointed out it was going to be a lot of work and money to just have it shift/crack after the first year or two. I had to agree.
So - on to the first mistake.....
I hired some landscapers with a Kubota backhoe to dig my foundation hole. I should have hired professional excavators instead.
I'm extending my pool deck area out to the side to include the WFO and hopefully a brick, wood fired barbecue with some counter space.
I needed a hole 4' wide by 25' long by 4' deep. In the center (sort of like a mishaped letter 'T') it would be 6'8" by 7'10".
I asked them to dig me a trench the width of the 18" bucket by 1' deep all around the trench, so I could pour cement footings directly into the trench without building any wood forms.
Because these guys weren't excavators, I ended up with a hole that was not a uniform depth, but went from 5' to a maximum of 5'6"...(probably my fault for not staying right there - but my wife grabbed the opportunity to have me haul wheelbarrows of the topsoil they were digging to the front lawn to create a raised flowerbed for her; and the mistake was made)
As well, the 'T' section ended up 13" too narrow and I didn't realize until after they had gone.... I ended up spending the better part of the next day digging by hand to get some straight walls and sufficient width for my footings.
Then I had to backfill some and rent a "jumping jack" to compact the soil to get the proper depth.
After building wood forms (that I hadn't planned on), and levelling them, we called for a cement truck.
As so many have done before me, I've lurked and read, and wondered, and had answered (without asking) so many questions on this forum. Thank you all.
I should probably still be reading and not doing, but patience isn't my greatest virtue.
I started my build 3 weeks ago, but a general lack of confidence in my building abilities lead me to originally decide not to post.... Well I've changed my mind...
My mistakes might save someone else the same headaches, so I'll embarrass myself in a public forum
Who knows, but my general lack of ability combined with my willingness to act, might inspire some other lurker to spring into action. On to the build -
I had planned on simply installing a floating slab on some sono tubes... and asked my brother-in-law if he would give me a hand...That's when the real work started....
He insisted on footings 4.5' deep and block foundation walls in return for his help... We get severe frost along with considerable snow, and he pointed out it was going to be a lot of work and money to just have it shift/crack after the first year or two. I had to agree.
So - on to the first mistake.....
I hired some landscapers with a Kubota backhoe to dig my foundation hole. I should have hired professional excavators instead.
I'm extending my pool deck area out to the side to include the WFO and hopefully a brick, wood fired barbecue with some counter space.
I needed a hole 4' wide by 25' long by 4' deep. In the center (sort of like a mishaped letter 'T') it would be 6'8" by 7'10".
I asked them to dig me a trench the width of the 18" bucket by 1' deep all around the trench, so I could pour cement footings directly into the trench without building any wood forms.
Because these guys weren't excavators, I ended up with a hole that was not a uniform depth, but went from 5' to a maximum of 5'6"...(probably my fault for not staying right there - but my wife grabbed the opportunity to have me haul wheelbarrows of the topsoil they were digging to the front lawn to create a raised flowerbed for her; and the mistake was made)
As well, the 'T' section ended up 13" too narrow and I didn't realize until after they had gone.... I ended up spending the better part of the next day digging by hand to get some straight walls and sufficient width for my footings.
Then I had to backfill some and rent a "jumping jack" to compact the soil to get the proper depth.
After building wood forms (that I hadn't planned on), and levelling them, we called for a cement truck.
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