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.

After pouring the main floor yesterday, it was good to have some rain today.  Water helps concrete cure slowly and reduces the risk of cracking.

Relaxing After Pouring Concrete

It was a big day yesterday as we poured our Harvest Gold colored concrete over the hollow core concrete panels.  This was a major milestone for our project.  Now, we need to pour the remaining concrete on the lower level (basement) and the garage.  The ground floor is looking great!

Our plan is to complete the next two pours before Thanksgiving.  Although the rain is good, the schedule looks tight.

Saw Cuts to Attract Cracking

Concrete cracks.  This is a fact.  We don’t want our concrete floors to crack.

There are a number of elements that we planned to reduce the risk of cracking, including the concrete mix design, avoiding sharp edges on posts in the concrete, and handling the concrete as it was poured.  However, concrete still cracks.

There are a number of techniques to control cracking and limit the cracking to specific areas.  One of these techniques is to use a saw and cut grooves in the concrete.  The purpose of these saw cuts is not to stop the cracking but to create a weak area that will attract the cracks.

It is best to cut the concrete as soon as possible after a pour, so the cracks can develop and collect in the saw cuts as the concrete cures.  Thus, Bill Brown’s team were on site today to cut the concrete that was poured yesterday.  They used string lines to follow the planned saw cuts from our design.

At this point, the concrete was too soft to cut cleanly so they left the site.

String lines showing where the saw cuts will go to attract cracking.

The concrete on the corner by the bridge looked nice today. The silver cap is where an electrical outlet will be in the floor.

After Bill Brown's team left, it started to rain. It is good for the concrete to be wet so it will cure slowly (and not crack!). Note the string lines where the saw cuts will be made.

Reed Kingston and his two sons, Cole and Graham, came to the job site to see the new concrete. They thought it would be better in the sunshine.

Jo-Anne came to our job site this morning to evaluate the colored concrete alternatives. 

On Monday, 11/16/09, we poured two samples of colored concrete – Baja Red and Harvest Gold.  Bill Brown explained that, as the concrete cures, it will lighten thus it was good for a few days to go by before evaluating the samples.

We both preferred the Harvest Gold.

(The name ‘Harvest Gold’ reminds us of the appliance colors that General Electric introduced in the late 1960s, ‘Harvest Gold’ and ‘Avacado Green.’  (We’re hoping that the Harvest Gold concrete will be more timeless than the appliances.)

Jo-Anne arrives at the job site to evaluate the colored concrete samples.

Harvest Gold with the color chart.

Baja Red ...

Jo-Anne evaluating the colored concrete - we chose the Harvest Gold.

We decided that we wanted to have an integral color in our concrete, and not have it stained after being poured.  We prefer to have a homogeneous color and not a ‘mottled’ look, which staining often yields.  The concrete will then be ground lightly into the ‘cream’ and then polished to a high grit count.

After reviewing the Grace color chart, we narrowed the choices to either Harvest Gold or Baja Red.  We were looking for a color to match with the Madrone hardwood flooring and trim, and Jo-Anne wanted to see what a ‘brick’ color would be like.

Granite Rock was very accomodating to our request and agreed to send us two trucks, each with two cubic yards of colored concrete.  We planned to pour the concrete at the front of the house over the hollow core concrete panels under the Master Suite where the concrete will be covered with hardwood flooring.  This allowed us to test the mix design of the concrete and see how it would be with the two colors.  Then, we could make a decision on the color for the larger pour that is scheduled for Thursday.

The hollow core concrete panels are soaked thoroughly with water prior to pouring the concrete. This helps the 3 inch topping bond to the hollow core concrete panels.

The first truck from Graniterock arrives with 2 yards of Baja Red. We are going to 'tailgate' the pour, since it is within reach of the truck.