Ground preparation

A lot of prep work goes into getting the ground ready for the concrete slab. I think it was something like five days of prep and then only half a day to pour and finish the concrete. Thankfully, my Dad was around to lead the project. His 10+ years of expertise from working in the concrete industry really paid off.  We never would have been able to accomplish this without his help. Although, he was shocked by the cost of gravel, sand, concrete and delivery in Alberta. I guess with less demand for building in B.C., and easier access to gravel pits, things are cheaper there.

In a nutshell, the work that went into preparing the ground for the concrete was as follows:

• mark out the size of the slab (24' x 24') and ensure that it conforms to the Edmonton mature neighbourhoods building regulations
• figure out how much we need to build up the area to have the correct final grade to the alley
• find a bobcat operator 
• order the required sand & gravel
• coordinate the distribution of the sand & gravel with the bobcat operator
• rake the sand smooth
• compact the sand & gravel
• check the grade and make any adjustments
• build the concrete forms and secure them in place
• lay & tie the rebar
• prop the re-bar up so that it doesn't sag under the weight of the concrete

When that is all done, it will look like this:

Ready for the concrete (hat is optional).

I have some details to share about the above list of tasks, but for all our sakes, I am trying to keep the individual blog entries short and sweet.

Apologies for the lack of posts

I just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts. We have been working very hard on the garage and house for the last few months, so I do have lots of news to share. As the weather has now turned colder, I will make a serious effort to update the blog with our progress. Stay tuned. As a teaser, here is a before and after of the front of the house.

Before

After

We are very happy with it.

Also,since I am so behind with the blog, it's possible that I may "Tarantino"it and write the posts in a non-linear chronology. You are fore-warned.