Form Boards!

Yesterday after working in 80 degree heat I finally finished forming up for the slab.  After running string lines, squaring up and leveling, the form boards are now in place, but this is only the beginning of the foundation process.  I have to add plumbing, vapor barrier, 2 inch high density styro-foam, wire mesh, dig out and add re-bar for the grade beam and layout PEX tube for the in floor heat.  And finally the cement itself!  Also before the cement I will need to add more fill around the perimeter of the foundation to strengthen up the sand from washing out from rain.

Prepping for Foundation

Now that spring is here it is time to start on the house building.  All winter we have been stockpiling supplies for the foundation.  We will be building on a slab foundation with infloor heat.  In preparation, I wrote up a material list.  Needed was 2 inch high density styrofoam, wire, rebar, plastic for a vapor barrier, and PEX tubing for the infloor heat.  My wife and I have been paying for the material as we have been going along, stacking them up near the build site in readiness of using them.  Our goal is still to build this house without having to borrow any money if possible.

After the road restrictions went off after the spring thaw, two large loads of sand were delivered.  Last weekend I used the skid steer and spread out the piles.  After they were spread I spent some time with a number 2 shovel flattening them out, eyeballing the level as I went.  A better leveling will be needed, but for now I wanted to have a rough idea what I was working with.  After this rough leveling I put the four corner stakes in, measuring their distance and squaring them up with the planned dimmensions of the slab.  We are planning on the house to be 24x28 1 1/2 story.  It will not be big, but it will be comfortable and will fit in with our budget.