Morgan here. I’m beat. Big push to get to pouring that concrete floor yesterday. It happened. Considering the limitations, a crew of novices, my phone that is on the fritz, two very different batches of concrete, we did alright. Wish it could of gone smoother. By that I mean I wish the floor could of come out smoother.
We had six guys, including myself, all newbies to flatwork. Energy and sun was high, tools at the ready, rushing in the last details before the opportunity passes forever. Last minute DPD inspection happened just in time, Bevin made a ridiculous trip to Ballard for a single roll of tape to seal the vapor barrier. Buphalo gathered rental tools and new shovels. Friends arrived and began smoking entire packs of cigarettes.
Salmon Bay got here and the mix was just right; 60/40, 6 sack, max water reducer, micro fiber reinforced, 3″ slump. The pump guy was fantastic not to mention affordable, loved him. We got right to it, concrete flowed, shovels flew, it was looking just about good enough. The next truck got there late and worse yet, surprise!, the second mix came wet, real wet. What came out of the hose was soup! Looked like 6″ slump to me. This made placement real easy at least, went down easy and screed out real flat like. I got the knack for the bull float and had a blast. We all did. The seam between the two batches was tough. The first batch had set off pretty good and the soup didn’t want to transition to the first bit. I wasn’t too worried, I figured I could get out there and smooth it out as soon as I could lay some boards out there.
Got ‘er laid down and looking fine so far. Happy with a job done well we rejoiced with beer and more smokes. Jeeze so many smokes. Sun was just getting down below the trees and the soup was still so soft. Interesting enough I saw very little bleed water. Maybe because of fiber or water reducer? I don’t really know. But two hours later I could push my thumb in to my knuckle. So I wait.
Capti’ Andy, Flaster kept me company for those hours. Shooting the shit, drinking beer and waiting to get out on the mud. They wanted to leave but I wanted a hand getting the power trowel on the floor. By now I could still get my thumb in the mud past my nail, no good, too soft. I was worried about the back section so I toss a pebble back there and it fucking bounces and clatters across the floor! Shit thats bad. No chance to wait on the front half, we grab some foam panels and wrestle the trowel across the soft bit to the really hard bit in the back. Way too hard. I can barely knock down the ridges much less get any creme’ to fill the voids. I plead for continued assistance from my unfortunate pressed brethren in strife. Nothing much I could really do at this point. The hardened half was nigh unworkable. I concentrated on the areas that will be seen and most left the hidden parts alone. Big patches went left un-trowled, mountains and valleys, folks. Like lava. Trying to transition the two batches was impossible. One half had the trowel skipping, the other just swallowed the blades. I had no chance to detail in the edges or flushed features such as the floor boxes and basins. I kept the power trowel going on that bit as if doing it more would help. Not really ‘though. I got a fine hard sheen going but only on the high spots. The voids would stay that way.
My compatriots leave me to my misfortune as I push that machine around with no effect. Even three hours later the soft half is only just able to take the trowel. At least I can get that half at the right timing. It satisfying to work this part. I can get it smooth and nice, right to the transition where it’s… bad. I’m out there for a long time. I finish up the power trowel about eleven at night while worrying about bothering the neighbors. Please don’t hate me.
So tired, I want to collapse. It got real cold. Freezing out. Literally freezing. If you don’t know, thats bad for concrete. Now what? I so hoped it wouldn’t get that cold. Who knew? Umm.. the weather man I guess. I make a run to Buphalo’s place at two am to grab a big ol’ heater and try to get it warm enough. Kept spraying it with water hoping that will keep it warm. Moving water does that right? As long as it’s water it’s not frozen, right?

Today, in the light, it looks, well, even worse. I was fine with a “tooled” look to the finish. But this was looking more like a Northwest beach. I’m not sure yet whats going to be the next step about all that. I could grind it down, which is pretty, expensive and time consuming. I could use a self leveling topping that is easy and affordable but to me looks dumb. I could just do some epoxy patches in the rough bits. I’ll rest on it a week or two before I think about it again. The pain is too present have perspective yet.
Happy new year y’all.

Had a long weekend at Critical NW last weekend. Came back ready to form some footings on monday. Turns out my footings are not dug out deep enough all the way around. There was some miscommunication there so now there is a bunch of dirt that has got to go. About 6″ to even 10″ in some places. I can’t get my excavator back here for just that, heck I can’t even find him. So I kinda gotta make it happen otherwise. It took Monday to get that figured out. Tuesday was about doing what Monday figured.
After stewing on my options (including just making the house sit that much higher) I went with digging it out by hand and getting a dumpster for the dirt. I ordered the dumpster for Wednesday, got Buphalo on the plan and spent the rest of the day setting up batter boards at the corners to layout the footings and later the walls. A plumb laser helped that out real nice to get it all spot on under the house. But I still really wanted a rotary laser level for getting depths right in the trenches. I could use the one I already have, but only after dark. So kinda limited in application. I figured the batter boards will be good enough to get elevations off the strings. Worked till the wee hours to get everything from the laser level I had marked off. Four hours of sleep until the dumpster gets delivered in the morning.
Except, real quick after I closed my eyes I was startled awake by, what’s that sound? It’s rain. Real rain. Real, hard rain. I ran outside in my underwear like I was going to be able to hold my hands up and just hold that downpour up in the sky. Instead I just witnessed the torrents pouring off from my 20′ high gutters pounding onto my uncovered, un-shored dirt embankments. I had visions of all my dirts slumping into a goopy mess under my house.
Dumpster came around 7am, no digging today. Instead I go shopping. It seems as soon as I started this project a lot of the tools I have been using for years decided to up and quit on me. So call up Buphalo for some guy shopping time and we start at the pawn shop, ’cause might as well give it a shot. There I score not only a miter saw and worm drive skill but lo and behold, a rotary laser for the same price as renting one. We finished off at Lowes for a job box and ladder.
That’s about the jist of it. More rain for tomorrow. I get to write a blog!

It happened, we’re 3′ 11″ further south. I held off that last inch ’cause I’m worried about not infringing the easement. But it went over fine and easy. The secret,.. come-alongs. Yep, chain winch come-alongs. There are videos in my flickr album.
DB Davis came in and did the deed, just another job for those guys, life changing for us. You might have gleened the main reason to move the house sideways was to widen the driveway to my shop. Now, from the viewing angles, the driveway view is the most telling. I am so excited to have this reality actually happening.
Here’s the driveway before and after, all I could find for the before shot shows the old cedar tree already removed. But imagine a big cedar tree there and you get the picture.

The house moves laterally tomorrow. If you wanted to come witness the spectacle, feel free to come over. I’ll have a cooler for your beverages and a little shade for reclining and watching.
The caveat will be you can’t really interrupt the crew and I’ll be running around and not too social. But it’s a once in a lifetime event, at least for me.
Festivities will begin around ten am but the real action probably won’t get moving until after noon, but not too much.

We were told our permits were approved last night. I ran to the computer to pay the fees and at the last minute we realized it was the wrong permit. At least I didn’t pay for the wrong one. Turns out the lingering issue is with our drainage plan and the original side sewer easement mess.  Way back when King County did the big Rainier Valley combined sewer and overflow they really messed up with recording the correct information as to the side sewers in our property. What was  recorded is something different then what was actually installed. Not only did this exacerbate the legal battle between us and the neighbor but now it is impossible to submit plans that reflect the actual layout of the pipes in the ground. Now we have to submit plans that show this wrong information. Supposedly this can be corrected in the field. Seems like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. I have visions of the inspector forcing us to hook up to the wrong side sewer or requiring another corrections cycle.