3 posts tagged “construction”
A look back: May 11, 2008
Having made the choice to go with Xypex, we lost our contractor. Two weeks passed and all we had to show for it was some slightly refined drawings and quotes from five more contractors interested in working on the project. All had good references, either family or friends of ours. All were willing to do whatever we asked and stop whenever we asked. But with each and everyone of them we were looking at more time and a lot more money then Wendy's cousin had planned on doing it.
It got to the point we were seriously considering doing the work ourselves. We even started shopping for tools (thanks to some good advice from Peter). But before we could do much we had to take care of the water proofing, so that became our first goal.
The week leading up to the eleventh was hectic. It started with us renting a chipping hammer from the Home Depot (05/04); Jackie and I going around the perimeter of the ground floor chipping away the joint between the stem wall and the slab. In waterproofing terms this joint is "weak" so we had to make a slot for the Xypex Patch & Plug compound. That done, Wendy and I acid etched the slab (05/08), opening up pores in the concrete to let the waterproofing in.
By the way, if you are looking for acid to do this yourself it's probably up with the paint thinner and concreted admixtures. It took five Home Depot employees to find it for us.
On Saturday (5/10) Jackie, Wendy and I went at the concrete with the Xypex. We more or less followed the directions, Jackie is more of a mix by feel kind of guy so we didn't really measure the portions, but otherwise it's pretty easy. Mix a little, pour it on the concrete, then brush it out to an even coat (about 1/16" thick). It's hard to believe that is all you need. But I have done the research, seen the literature. We'll see next rainy season.
Apparently that's all Wendy's cousin was waiting for because Chu showed up Sunday (05/11) morning ready to go. We poured over a hundred bags worth of concrete to level the bedroom and bathroom floors that day. The family room was to follow the next day. We were off and running, it felt good to be doing something again.
A look back: April 20, 2008
Roughly two weeks later and things were moving along nicely. The "gaping hole" had been covered up and the concrete set. The second bedroom was framed and you could start to see the space come together.
We made the decision to go with a waterproofing compound called Xypex to (hopefully) solve our presumed waterproofing problems. Now, the best way to go about waterproofing a space below grade is probably to go in and do the foundation right. Our foundation is a 3-4" slab on grade. Period. No gravel underlayment. No moisture barrier. Nothing. So in order to do that we would have to rip out the whole slab and replace it. That's not in the budget. Our second alternative would be to dig a deep trench around the perimeter of the building and back fill with gravel. A sort of french drain that aleviates most of the hydrostatic pressure. The problem with that is where would we drain it to? And how would we afford it?
So we went with Xypex. It's a chemical compound that bonds within and strengthens the crystaline structure of the concrete, filling in the gaps. No gaps, no water. At least that is what the local rep said. Our situation is exactly what the product was designed for. We took a leap of faith (strengthend by as much research as we could do).
Not everyone agreed with us. No one had done it, no one knew if it would work. The application is quite involved, everything from carving out a trench at the perimeter to misting three times daily. Work ground to a halt. Wendy's cousin decided to walk away rather then risk straining relations with his crew or with us if it failed. He had his reasons and we had to respect him for it. But now what were we going to do?
(Pictures to follow)
A look back: April 10, 2008
The whole drafting, submitting, revising, and resubmitting process took about three weeks. In the end, with only one resubmission, Wendy and I had our permit. Our first all by ourselves. We knew the drawings weren't complete (that's why we were going to be working with Wendy's cousin psuedo design-buildish) but that would come. Now it was time to start.
And boy did it happen fast. Looking back it seems like we left for work one morning and came home to a gaping hole in the garage and a stick framed wall. It was really happening. I'll get into the whole design of the space in a later post, but the jist of the project is the addition of two bedrooms, a family room, and a bathroom within the existing garage and a total remodel of the kitchen and bathroom upstairs. The big hole was necessary so that we could extend the plumbing lines into the new space, plus we had to add an interior braced wall that required a new footing. With the all of that dirt exposed we realized just how much water was sitting under our house and started scrambling for ideas on keeping the new living spaces dry and mold free.
Only a week after construction started we had our first inspections (underground plumbing and footing) signed off and things seemed to be on track. We had a laundry list of things to figure out, order, or design but we were ready for just about anything. Or so we thought.
(Pictures to follow)
