We poured the remaining concrete in the house today.  This should be the last of the concrete that we pour inside the house.  It felt good today.  Very good.

Pumping Concrete into the Lower Level

The day started early since we knew it would some time for the high-slag content concrete to set (we were using 70% slag).  We had lights in place and a ladder in the window well; we’re ready pump concrete.

The pour went quite well and, yes, the concrete was taking a while to set.

John Rider came by to see our progress to date and the concrete pour.  We have been working with John on this project since July 2008.  John always comes by for key events to see our progress.

We're ready to pump the first truck. Note the plastic to simplify the cleanup.

Starting to place the colored concrete in the lower level.

The floor under the pantry is ready for concrete.

Looking from up above as we're pouring concrete.

John Rider came by to observe the pour and see our progress.

Second truck arrives with more colored concrete.

Our PEX (for the radiant heating) is holding constant pressure at 100 psi (this is good!).

Pouring the final 'strip' in the center of the atrium, going through the Snack Area to the door

Preparing to screed the final area in the center.

The floor under the panty is completed.

As expected, the concrete was taking a long time to set.

The lights that we planned for were put to good use. The high-slag concrete (70%) takes a long time to set.

It was a great day to pour concrete.  Everything went well today – Hector from Larson Steel was on time this morning as was Chris from Clausen Electric.

Completing Trim Work in the Basement

We needed to cut the excess bolts off the baseplates in the lower level, which hold the steel columns in place.  Hector Guerra was on time early this morning and Bryan helped him to cut the tops of the bolts off.  As well, Chris from Clausen Electric came by and installed the conduit and fixtures in the lower level by the exposed concrete wall.

It was good to stroke those two items off ‘the list’.

Hector cutting the bolts from the plates supporting the steel columns in the lower level.

Done.

Chris puts the electrical fixtures and conduit in the floor.

Pouring Concrete in the Garage

We poured the ground floor in three sections.  First, we poured the section at the front of the house, under the master suite which will be covered by hardwood flooring.  Then, we poured the rest of the ground floor, except for the garage.  Today, we poured the garage, which is 20 ft by 20 ft.  All of this concrete contains 70% slag.

The Graniterock truck showed up right on time and we ‘tailgated’ the concrete into the garage.  It was poured within 30 minutes and then Bill Brown’s team finished the concrete. 

We decided to use colored concrete so it will match the rest of the house (i.e., Harvest Gold).

The Graniterock truck arrives and is ready to 'tailgate' the concrete into the garage.

Ready to pour concrete in the garage.

Pouring colored concrete.

Within minutes, we're half way done.

Tailgating requires a bit more manual work than using the pumper truck ...

We've got the concrete in place so the truck can clean up.

Starting to 'screed' the concrete in the garage.

Screeding is tougher than it looks as everyone has to work together as an integrated team to move the concrete and produce a flat surface without grooves or tracks.

Back to the lower level, and this photo shows the end of the loop in the atrium.

The PEX is looking good in the lower level. Our plan is to pour this next week.

The completed concrete in the garage is looking good.

We had to put our project on ‘hold’ for several months while we had our interior stairs and two bridges, with the corresponding posts and railing systems designed, engineered, approved, fabricated, installed and inspected.  Then, the stainless steel posts had to be welded to the steel beams in the house.

Having completed those items, we re-engaged Bill Brown Construction to complete pouring the 5+ inches of concrete on the main floor and the 3 inches of concrete in the lower floor (basement).

Cleaning Up the Site and Setting Forms

Bill Brown’s team arrived on site and started working on ensuring all the forms were in the correct position.  After several months, some of the forms had moved a bit so they needed some adjustments.  With three people working, the cleanup was done quickly.

Front of house looking much cleaner, ready for measuring.

West side of house, where forms need to be set.

The kitchen is now a good location for a lunch break.

Dining room with feature concrete wall, ready for rebar and forms.

We put our project on hold for three months while the stairs and two bridges were designed, engineered, fabricated and installed.

Bill Brown met Bryan at the project site today and reviewed the stairs and bridges.  And tested each of them.

Discussion with Bill Brown

Bryan met with Bill for several reasons.  First, Bill wanted to see the stairs and bridges, and then he wanted to know where we are with the project and what the next steps are.  Also, Bill wanted to ensure that we were satisfied with the billings to date and answer any questions that we had.

Bryan showed Bill the various components for the stairs and bridges, and explained that the 14 posts that will be welded to the steel I-beams should be delivered next week.  Larson Steel will do the field welding and ensure the posts are solidly in place before we can pour the next (final) layer of concrete.

Bill would prefer to do one monolithic pour for the entire 5-1/4 inches of concrete on the main floor.  Also, we require 3 more inches of concrete in the lower level.  Bill recommended that we work quickly on our ‘colors’ and decide on how much tint we require in the concrete mix.  Bryan mentioned that John Minton recommended that we do a monolithic pour so we take out as much of the camber in the hollow core concrete panels.

In reviewing the elevation for the finished floor, Bill pointed out that we have now established that level with the brackets in the Bridge Hall that support the GlassWalk floor system.  Bryan noted that Larson Steel will need to remove part of the bracket at each end of the bridge so there is sufficient depth for the concrete.

Our next steps include the following:

• Receive the posts and weld the posts into place.
• Bill’s team will ensure the current forms are in the correct position and put in the remaining forms with reinforcing steel and/or wire mesh.
• We will have the radiant heating and cooling PEX installed, with supply/return lines to the various manifolds.
• Pour the main floor.
• Pour the lower level.
• Strip the forms.
• After 28 days (or so), grind and polish the concrete as required.

Bill will be working on designing the concrete mix so it will include the appropriate amount of slag that works with the sealant (Ashford Formula or equivalent), the desired aggregate size (depending on how much grinding we want in the surface), the hardness of the concrete (PSI), and the amount of water required. 

He will design a mix that considers the various objectives and will limit the risk and degree of cracking that will occur (remember, concrete cracks).

Bill Walks the Property

Being very skilled around project sites and walking across steel beams, Bill tested the bridge by walking across it and bouncing in the center.  Getting defensive, Bryan explained that there will be two layers of 3/4 inch plywood on the bridge with another 3/4 inch of hardwood flooring.  Bill smiled said that he will test the bridge when it is completed.

Regarding the exposed edges of concrete and steel I-beams, Bill recommended that we grind the exposed face of the concrete and not use any stainless steel trim.

Bill Brown testing the bridge. It passed his preliminary inspection and Bill will provide his opinion on completion.

Bill checking the vertical gap between the steel I-beam and the stair stringer to ensure the 1x2 stainless steel post will fit. He believes it will, just.

Hanson Structural Precast confirmed our three truckloads of hollowcore concrete panels will arrive on Tuesday morning so we can start unloading (working) at 8:00 am. 

Bill Brown and his team are ready, and the weather looks perfect.

Completing the Steel

Larson Steel finished installing our steel columns and beams today.  Of course, this is a prerequisite to putting in the hollowcore concrete panels tomorrow.

We had to ensure there was always a three inch bearing surface on top of each beam.  This required moving some Nelson studs and trimming the ends of some beams.  We confirmed that our structural engineer, Innovative Structural Engineering, had verfied the conditions in each location where the steel beams were connected to either the concrete retaining walls, other steel beams, or steel columns.  Shane Lothrop confirmed each connection was acceptable.

Require 3 Inch Bearing Surface

The following photos show the conditions where we had to ensure there was a 3 inch bearing surface on the steel beams for the hollowocore concrete panels.

Nelson studs and W6x16 beam projecting into the 3 inch bearing surface for the hollowcore concrete panels.

W6x16 flush beam projecting into the bearing surface.

This W10x12 drop beam needs to be moved so our stairs can be at least 36 inches wide.

Making the Final Changes

Both Pete Larson’s team and Bill Brown’s team worked to ensure that we were prepared to place the 50 hollowcore concrete panels tomorrow morning. (more…)

Today was a huge milestone for our project.  Our structural steel is now in place, ready for the hollow core concrete panels.

Preparing for the Day

It was a perfect blue-sky, California day to place our steel columns and beams.  Not a cloud in the sky and a faint breeze to keep everything cool and comfortable.  Our 35-ton crane, from West Coast Cranes, arrived on time with the truck carrying our steel columns and beams.

Our crane, from West Coast Cranes, arrived on site promptly this morning to get set up.

The team from Larson Steel setting the bolt heights in the pockets for the steel beams.

The truck with our steel columns and beams arrived and is waiting on Winchester Boulevard.

35 ton crane from West Coast Cranes starting to extend its boom.

Note how the five outriggers are extended to level and stabilize the crane.

Having a large crane in place on a beautiful day appeared to be a trigger for visitors.  For example, Wes Wenger (Wenger Plumbing) came by as did Doug Ferannte (Los Gatos Glass).  Both had positive comments on our project as it continues to move forward.

Setting the Steel Columns in Place

The eight steel columns were set in place first, on the bolts that Bill Brown’s team embedded in the structural concrete on March 6, 2009.  These steel columns will support the steel beams.

First steel column coming from the truck.

Our first steel column being set in place by the crane, with Hector Guerra guiding it.

The last steel column is in place and the bolts are being adjusted and tightened.

Placing the Steel Beams

We have five steel drop beams that are supported by the steel columns and foundation wall.  These drop beams support two steel flush beams.

Moving the first steel beam from the truck to the site.

Hector Guerra directing the first steel beam placement over the window well.

Our 54 ft steel beam coming from the truck on Via Sereno.

Pete Larson's team putting our longest steel beam into place.

Hector guides the steel beam over the Wine Cellar into position, taking extreme care not to touch the feature concrete wall in the Atrium.

Moving the first flush beam from Via Sereno into the site.

Flush beam being lowered into place.

Our crane operator worked well with the Pete Larson's team, ensuring that the beams were placed in position gently and safely, exactly as directed. The owner of West Coast Cranes, Lowell Tucker came to our job site for a few minutes to observe the steel placement and ensure the work was going well (it was)..

First flush beam being positioned from the Atrium to the west foundation wall.

Placing the drop beam under the Dining Room and Kitchen. Note the crane operator is somewhat 'blind' as this beam is behind the Kitchen/Garage concrete feature wall.

Hector Guerra directing Pete Larson's on-site team.

John Rider Reviews the Steel Placement

John Rider (Jrider + Design), his wife Jenny, and Joel Lemons came to the site to see the steel beams being placed.  John was the focal point on our integrated design team as he ran the ArchiCAD model that was used to export and import DWG files from our design engineers to ensure all the components would ‘fit’ in our design.

John’s offices are located only minutes away on Hamilton Avenue in Campbell, California so they came just before going for lunch today.

We reflected on John’s site visit when the structural slab was poured using the boom pump truck, and smiled.

We had a several visitors come to see the steel columns and beams today.

John Rider (left), Jenny Rider and Joel Lemons watching from the observation deck as the steel beams being placed.

Our Structural Steel is in Place

With all the structural steel in place, the crane operator retracted the outriggers and secured the boom.  Then, he left the site.  Definitely a milestone event for us! 

Securing the boom and shutting down the crane.

Visits by Our Neighbors

After Pete Larson’s team and the crane left the site, we received a couple visitors.

First, Phil Knopf and his wife, Bonnie, came to the site.  They have lived in Monte Sereno, on the other side of Winchester, for more than 30 years and have seen significant changes in our community during that time.  We know Phil through his continuing leadership with Los Gatos Little League, where both our son, Nik, and daughter, Kate, play AAA and T-ball, respectively.

Although Phil had visited our site before, it had been some time and Bonnie had not seen the plans.  They were most interested in our project so Bryan gave them a thorough tour and explained the design features and energy-saving elements.  Phil and Bonnie were the first people to walk down the exterior concrete steps into the lower level.

John McLaren, a neighbor that lives four houses away on Daves Avenue, came to the site and walked the property, noting the changes since his last visit.  He used our new exterior concrete stair and avoided the water that was soaking our feature concrete walls.  Since inception, John has followed and supported our project.  He seems particularly interested in our Wine Cellar.

Another neighbor, Kel Marchbank (Marcal Construction), was on his Harley and visited the site.  Kel was over yesterday and saw the site before the steel was placed today.  He was impressed with the progress today and is looking forward to seeing the hollow core concrete panels being placed on Tuesday.

Our neighbors, Phil and Bonnie Knopf, visiting our site.

Bonnie Knopf liked the steel beams that we placed today.

Kel Marchbank stopped by to see the progress since his review yesterday.

 Bryan was smiling from ear-to-ear as he locked the gate.  It was a huge milestone today.