Building on the Mid North Coast

[jcooke113]

Hello Everyone,
After months of research and saying I want to build a WFO, I finally started this weekend. I have attached a few photos and plan on pouring the supporting slab in the next few weeks. But was wondering if I need any extra support in the middle(The opening is 1380 x 1380) I am worried about the concrete staying suspended with the weight of a 42" oven, when following the plans downloaded from the FB website. I also need to know about mixing vermicrete at the 5:1 ratio if that is straight Portland Cement or do you need sand and aggregate. Any other suggestions or things to watch out for will be helpful. The second open area is about 600mm wide and I have a prefab stainless steal bench that will be fixed there.
Thanks in advance for your time and help,
John

[OscarA]

Re: Building on the Mid North Coast

Hello Everyone,
After months of research and saying I want to build a WFO, I finally started this weekend. I have attached a few photos and plan on pouring the supporting slab in the next few weeks. But was wondering if I need any extra support in the middle(The opening is 1380 x 1380) I am worried about the concrete staying suspended with the weight of a 42" oven, when following the plans downloaded from the FB website. I also need to know about mixing vermicrete at the 5:1 ratio if that is straight Portland Cement or do you need sand and aggregate. Any other suggestions or things to watch out for will be helpful. The second open area is about 600mm wide and I have a prefab stainless steal bench that will be fixed there.
Thanks in advance for your time and help,
John

The suspended slab will be fine just make sure you use 8mm rebar 200-300mm spacing for reinforcement. The only support i would use in the middle would be tempory stuff to prevent sagging while wet. Here's a pic of mine to help explain what I did. Note how my tempory support was done in a way that I can easily remove it.
Mine was done rather rough but it gives you an idea on what I'm talking about. Once done leave the support in for as long as possible 3-4 weeks.

As you can see my stand is different to yours and mine does have permanent support in the middle but it makes no difference. Once the concrete is dry your suspended slab will be strong. Many builds have been done with your style stand with no support and no problems just make sure you use rebar for reinforcement not mesh..


The vermicrete is just water, portland cement and vermiculite. Some people mix the cement and water first then add it to the vermiculite to make sure it's mixed in properly.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Building on the Mid North Coast

Some people mix the cement and water first then add it to the vermiculite to make sure it's mixed in properly.

You say potato I say potato..... its all the same.

[jcooke113]

Re: Building on the Mid North Coast

Thanks guys for the information, I am sure I will have tons of questions as my build progresses and I will post pictures to get as much advice as possible. So glad this forum is here to gather and pass on information so we are all learning from each other!
Happy Building, cooking or planning - where ever you may be in your WFO project

Cheers,
John