The Foundation

"Beams" Through the Fill Dirt

Once the rain finally stopped and the ground dried up a bit, the Martinez Brothers were finally able to get back to work on building the foundation for the new addition.

Plumbing Rough In

The plumber had to do his "rough in" work as well. He installed the sewer lines from the sinks, the shower and the toilet and tied them into the main line. Once the rough in is complete, the City has to inspect and approve the rough in before the work can continue.

The concrete company installs the steel rebar throughout the slab area and in the beams (the deep trenches where the concrete will be poured). Once again, when everything is ready for concrete, the City has to inspect the foundation and the rebar and sign off before the concrete can be ordered.

The black plastic keeps the ground from pulling water out of the wet concrete too fast while it is curing. It also prevents water from seeping up through the cured concrete from the ground in the future.

The entire slab, beams, stem wall and porch are poured at once in what is called a "monolithic pour". This provides added strength to the foundation.

Concrete Truck and Concrete Pump

Since you can't drive a concrete truck into the back yard, you have to use a "concrete pump". The pump has a hopper into which the wet concrete can be poured and a long pipe through which the concrete is pumped to where you need it.

Concrete Being Pumped to the Foundation

After all the concrete is pumped into the forms and worked down into all the beams, the finishing work begins.

Smoothing Everything Out

They make several passes over the concrete ensuring everything is smooth and level.

Finishing Touches

After a long day, they pop off all the rest of the forms and finish it up. In a couple of days the concrete will be cured enough for the carpenters to start their framing work.

Foundation is Done

Onward and upward.