gathering supplies/tools/materials

[heinburger]

Regarding issue #1, #3, #4

Starting to gather a list of what we need:

• [ ] mattock
• [ ] gravel
• [ ] tamper
• [ ] scaffolding
• [ ] trowels (2 - 3)
• [ ] buckets
• [ ] leveling sight
• [ ] pointy shovel
• [ ] deep shovel
• [ ] wheelbarrow
• [ ] wood
• [ ] power drills
• [ ] edit this post to add more
• [ ] rebar (straight for footers and grid for slab)
• [ ] metal saw for rebar
• [ ] vapor guard for the slab (~$109 for 5'x100' roll)

[mynameisfiber]

We also need to figure out what the anchoring situation for the building is... chances are we'll need to get some anchors to fit into the concrete.

[wannabeCitizen]

This should be in the manual. My grandpap told me that normally we would put a few lag screws into the concrete (preferably while it's drying)and mount the footer into cinder (if it's a basement home) or into the structure.

My guess is that the trough foundation is something that is done to mount the building to the foundation instead of anchoring. That or you run lags out of the side of the trough and drill them into the arch somehow.

[mynameisfiber]

For the rebar, we need to have an overlap that is >40x the diameter of the rebar... good to know for when we are buying the supplies.

This means that for the perimeter, every line of rebar will have to be done with 6 20ft lines of rebar (1) (calculated with number of rebar = circumference / (rebar length - 40 * rebar diameter). We probably want 2 or three lines, which means we should get 18 20ft long pieces (totaling $138.06).

In addition, we need to get a grid of rebar. Using a calculator I found online for the cost calculation (2) and the price for 20' rebar I found above ($7.67 / 20ft), it says enough rebar for the grid'll be about $383 (by using 18x18 rebars). There is also a great calculator that'll show you exactly where to place every rebar for the grid (3). I've seen rebar ties on the internet to tie the rebar together, but I don't know the benefit of that vs other wire... thoughts?

[wannabeCitizen]

Yeah, I don't know about how to fit rebar together either. Maybe Nathan will have a suggestion. Also, I don't quite understand the 20 ft long lines of rebar. Perhaps you can show me in picture form when I get to NYC next week?

[nathanjcochran]

If there's going to be a lot of roots where we're digging, add a few Pulaskis to the list. There's really nothing better for dealing with roots. I've found that cutter mattocks bounce back against big roots, wasting energy and creating a bit of a safety hazard (pick mattocks, on the other hand, are crucial for digging).

I've seen concrete slabs like this poured before (with a rebar grid, etc.), but I don't remember exactly how the rebar was linked together.

Maybe add a few concrete rakes to the list. I don't think you'll be able to smooth out the concrete effectively without them (trowels being too small).

When I saw a slab being poured (at a Forest Service station), they had already created a level frame around the outside, and slid a heavy metal beam that spanned the width of the frame along as the concrete was poured. I don't think this is necessary, but it makes a flatter concrete surface than you're going to be able to do with just rakes and trowels. Here's a little picture of how it went down: