saveasteading Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 2 hours ago, gavztheouch said: my plate compactor does not go deep enough I reckon it will do the job fine. 100mm isn't thick. but give it plenty of whacking because type 3 has voids in it and may joggle into place after a few whacks. A very heavy roller might even be too heavy for this, and form itself a hollow. or skim a bit of the top and do it in 2 layers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 Screeding today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan62 Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 1 hour ago, gavztheouch said: Screeding today How thick is the screed layer you are laying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 Not very thick, about 50mm 20 minutes ago, Duncan62 said: How thick is the screed layer you are laying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan62 Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 11 hours ago, gavztheouch said: Not very thick, about 50mm Looks like a nice job 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 Isoquick laid, feels like a bit of a milestone. Next is dpm and rebar 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 DPM and first layer of mesh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 On 02/10/2023 at 07:42, gavztheouch said: About to start my isoquick foundation about 110m2. On 03/05/2024 at 16:49, gavztheouch said: Isoquick laid, feels like a bit of a milestone. Next is dpm and rebar 🍻🥳 28 minutes ago, gavztheouch said: DPM and first layer of mesh. Looks like a very neat job, and I see you've sleeved the 110mm pipes so you retain some "wiggle-room" I assume? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 Been let down slightly by my concrete contractor who was going to pour over the last two weeks but hasn’t managed it and is now unfortunately going away on holiday for two weeks on Monday. The concrete pour was the bit I was dreading and I felt good when I finally found him as he gave me some confidence he would do a good job. It’s mainly my fault I’m in this situation as I have been too busy to push the foundation on as fast as I would have liked. It now leaves me with a difficult decision of finding someone else short notice or waiting what could be up to a month for him to come back and find another weather window. This will set back my stick build big time and push me into the winter months which I was trying to avoid. Feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing. This must be the stress everyone I talk to about building a house must be talking about! I’m in central Scotland. Anyone know someone who can pour a slab that will have a power floated finish. The concrete is going to be the finished floor surface, hence the worry/disappointment that I may be forced to go with someone else in a bit of a hurry after spending aging finding someone I could trust. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 Yep, that’s stress we were on about. Maybe @Gus Potterknows someone or can advise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 Booked in for this Thursday with the original contractor. He is on holiday but his son is still here with part of the crew so we are going to work together to see if we can get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 Nb the second in command is often surpringly lacking in the skills. I hope not of course , good luck. You are doing the right thing in keeping close attention. Others here might know what to watch for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Potter Posted Monday at 21:07 Share Posted Monday at 21:07 On 19/07/2024 at 17:14, saveasteading said: Nb the second in command is often surpringly lacking in the skills. I hope not of course , good luck. You are doing the right thing in keeping close attention. Others here might know what to watch for. Yes.. some of that mesh looks really conjested. I would send some photos to your SE before pouring and make sure they are happy with the layout. You'll need to be right on the ball with the concrete compaction. Scottish BC may ask for photos of the rebar.. if they don't match up with the SE's design you may have a problem! Be safe and get approval for this now from the SE and then you can sleep soundly! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted Monday at 21:55 Author Share Posted Monday at 21:55 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Gus Potter said: Yes.. some of that mesh looks really conjested. I would send some photos to your SE before pouring and make sure they are happy with the layout. You'll need to be right on the ball with the concrete compaction. Scottish BC may ask for photos of the rebar.. if they don't match up with the SE's design you may have a problem! Be safe and get approval for this now from the SE and then you can sleep soundly! Thanks Gus I'll send him some pictures tomorrow. Looks like Thursday will be too wet to pour, we have thundery showers forecast which could be nothing or loads of rain so prob not worth the risk. The mesh is A393 two layers on the bottom and two layers on the top. 400mm overlaps with flying ends which helps with congestion. I offset the joints in the sheets to reduce congestion in the same point. I think the pictures looks a lot worse than how it looks in real life, especially the parts with water underneath causing reflections that look like more bars . Maybe I should wait until more of the crew gets back on Monday so I would be more free to use the vibrator poker. Edited Monday at 21:58 by gavztheouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted Monday at 22:02 Share Posted Monday at 22:02 Gus is right. I had not been able to see the photograph. That is a lot of steel, some of it very congested so may effectively sieve and separate the concrete into fine and coarse, which affects the strength. The SE may advise smaller aggregate. And another concern might be level control. I've seen plenty of contractors assume that having a laser level is all that is necessary. Controlling the pour levels and then the tamp / float is not simple. Ask how it will be controlled. Most importantly: do not let anyone add any water to the mix. Instruct the contractor and also instruct each delivery driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted Monday at 22:24 Author Share Posted Monday at 22:24 (edited) 22 minutes ago, saveasteading said: Gus is right. I had not been able to see the photograph. That is a lot of steel, some of it very congested so may effectively sieve and separate the concrete into fine and coarse, which affects the strength. The SE may advise smaller aggregate. And another concern might be level control. I've seen plenty of contractors assume that having a laser level is all that is necessary. Controlling the pour levels and then the tamp / float is not simple. Ask how it will be controlled. Most importantly: do not let anyone add any water to the mix. Instruct the contractor and also instruct each delivery driver. The concrete contractor suggested 10mm aggregate, I was worried this may make the concrete shrink more as there is more sand water and concrete in the mix of the smaller aggregate size. Edited Monday at 22:25 by gavztheouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavztheouch Posted Monday at 22:33 Author Share Posted Monday at 22:33 This picture Shows the rebar better. A393 is 200mm squares so within a 200mm block there should be at least a 50mm by 50mm hole. Some sheets are perfectly out of phase ie 50mm by 50mm holes and some placed directly on top of each other so the hole in the layer Is 200mm by 200mm. There is also every other possiblity as the sheets drift in and out phase with each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted Monday at 22:59 Share Posted Monday at 22:59 The mesh looks fine. It won't hurt at all if this is left for another 3 weeks before you pour. It would be best if you have decent contractors to do this, but it won't fall down if you don't. Setting a target of having the concrete as the finished surface makes this far more prone to failure. Concrete is not a very attractive finish. A 30mm latex screed over will be flatter than any pancake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted Tuesday at 08:23 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:23 9 hours ago, gavztheouch said: may make the concrete shrink more Stone and sand don't shrink. Water is the issue. The right amount, as delivered in the mix,* mostly combines chemically with the cement and the rest evaporates. Any extra water evaporates and leaves that amount of void in the concrete. Your huge amount of mesh causes microscopic cracking all over, and stops big cracks appearing. Not the contractor's decision though, but the SE. *it is a precise design, with all the ingredients adjusted. The sand is even tested for wetness to ensure the right amount of water. 9 hours ago, Mr Punter said: but it won't fall down Hardly. This would work as an upstairs floor or a bridge but is supported on the ground. A skilled contractor will get this flat and smooth enough and you won't need screed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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