Pics With Nice View, Foundation

straightline

PA WOODBUTCHER we are in the east tenn area

72chevy4x4

I started off as a mason (...that is worked my up to become one) and using a water level should be dead on from one side to the other with error accounted for in the reading.

TempestV

There are a lot of things a water level does quite fine that a laser can't touch. Try transferring a reverence line from one side of a wall to the other using a laser.

You don't have to be old to enjoy using the old school tools...

I have circular saws that are older than me. Heck, they're probably older than my dad. One of them is 36 pounds and needs new bearings, but it still cuts just fine.

there is an antique tool shop near me. That's a dangerous place to visit just after getting paid...

UpNorth

I was checking a new sub's work, he being a poured 'crete wall foundation builder, and I was using a water level to do so. Sometime late in the last millenium. Mine was made from vinyl tubing. Just for grins, since they were there, I asked one of the crew to help and hold one end.

They had used a laser, and for my helper, it was his first look at a water level setup.

After I had finished, I was chatting with the foreman, and said that the Egyptians had used water levels in building their pyramids. The crew-guy that helped me said, "Yeah? Where'd they get the vinyl tubing?"

Timuhler

We go with 2 pours. As far as level, it is just me at the pouring stage. They are usually very level, but I was training my partner and I just didn't get it level enough in the garage.

We shoot in grade with a laser and the set 3d nails every 16" or so.

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Timuhler

If you look at the Lot 30 & 35 photo albums in my signature, you can see that it took Matt and me 1 day for the footings and 1 day for the walls. We had a lot of extra work to dig in some footings for interior shear walls.

Now that is with Matt having 0 experience and me not having had foundation duty since fall 2003. It usually takes us a day to strip and get the panels back to the our yard.

That fall we did about 10 foundations in a month or so. We had one Friday where we poured 50+ yards. Some were footings and some were walls. My mentor Dave had done a lot of this kind of work and Jasen (carp who used to work with me) had worked for a foundation sub and done commercial/residential carpentry. We did pretty well.

Been a long time since I've done a basement though.

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WNYcarpenter

I laughed out loud the first time I was asked to use a water level....well, after 300' around the house and we were 1/2" out I ate crow!

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innovous

Aint no school like the old school !!

PlumbBob^2Pants

HAHA ... good stuff, man.

PlumbBob^2Pants

OK ... no problem. It can be done in a matter of seconds with a laser.

CJ21

Nice view.

WarnerConstInc.

How can one build a good house on a crappy foundation??

Needs fixed and the block guy needs to quit drinking on the job.

The only thing I was not allowed to do on a basment pour was top the wall. I sucked at that, all those little nails, I was responsible for some wavy wall tops. I gave up topping walls after the senond one I had to grind down.

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PlumbBob^2Pants

After a few months of waiting on the HO's to deal with the no-good block mason, lawyers, having another crew come in and try to straighten out the block by cutting it down (and it still wasn't right ... lazy block mason), and weather, we finally got to get our hands on it. This thread and this thread will give you an idea of how messed up this foundation really is.

By the time the second block guy got through with it, there were a gazillion anchor bolts to deal with. There were places that were still out of level by 1-1/2", 3/4", 1/2" etc. in the short, cut up areas. So, based on that we decided to double up the sill plates and bring it all to level by routing and shimming the floor truss locations on the sill plates (thanks for the suggestion, tcholdren!). We used our new Stabila rotary laser to take elevation readings all along the top of the foundation to come up with a plan that would require the least amount of shimming (but more routing). There were very few floor truss locations that were "right" ... almost everything had to be modified to bring it to level. Bringing it to square was another problem in itself ... it's much better, it's manageable, but it's not square.

The Stabila rotary laser is an awesome tool, and it made really quick work in getting this foundation right. It's detector tells you in sixteenths how far you're off level. We had all the elevations taken, marked on the plates, and on paper in about an hour ... took the data home, analyzed it, and came up with this plan. We probably done a little more shimming and routing than we had to, but it only took minimal time to go the extra step. It's out no more than 1/8" across the entire foundation now. The HO's trust us and are happy they're going to have a nice, flat, level floor now.

Here's a few pics ...

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PlumbBob^2Pants

A few more ...

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Timuhler

Great job! That is nice to hear about the laser too. It does make quick work of things like this.

Keep the progress reports coming.

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PlumbBob^2Pants

Thanks Tim. Straightening out this foundation was more like a remodeling job than new construction. Luckily, we've done our fair share of remodeling ... so our minds were warped enough to be able to figure out how to get this thing right.

If it ever quits raining, we're going to start putting up the floor trusses, temporary bracing, and then the decking ... and will post pics of all of that.

mikebooth

I build in Willianson county, Tn. and we have to use cap block for brick ledge and also for top plate. If block layers use transit to lay corners, everything works fine. If they don's, then Lord help you. When I pour stemwalls, I stop short of desired height because they never are exacrly level. I let carpenter build a kneewall to level everything. If we pour close, then I have engineer write letter and use metal shims to get exact level. Have a great day, you must be in est Tn. by looks of hills.

L@EConstruction

Looks like you guys are doing a find job there Plumbob! Glad you got it all started! I'm gonna have to look into a good laser.

PlumbBob^2Pants

Thanks L@E , we're really happy to be started on it. It should be smooth sailing from here. So far, the Stabila laser has met and even exceeded our expectations. In a few short days that we've used it, it's went through smoke with burning ash falling down on it from a fire pit at the jobsite, 65 mph wind gusts, and saw dust flying all over it from planning and routing the plates ... It's airtight and lives up to it's hype. So far we're really happy with it.