These concrete walls need to be strong and heavy.

We need concrete retaining walls around the perimeter of the house as well as interior structural concrete walls.  These walls must support the weight of the house (point loads) as well as provide shear strength.  Importantly, these walls must contribute to the 1.5 million pounds of dead weight that we require to offset the hydrostatic pressure (so our house doesn’t float).

Where are we going with this?  Yes Scott, you are correct – more rebar.

Placing rebar in the north-west part of the perimeter retaining wall.

(more…)