Between rain and County inspection it was a three day work week. We formed the steel on Monday, stopped work for inspection on Tuesday, poured on Wednesday and began framing on Thursday. Got in a few hours on Friday before big rain.
Enjoy.........Terry
House slab rebar in foreground, entry slab behind.
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Foam sealing around waste line punctures through 13" foam bed.
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Concrete will fill up to top of verticle 2" foam.
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First concrete being pumped from truck into same corner as above pic.
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Half way- guys with rubber boots walk in 6" wet concrete to smooth out concrete.
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After slab is finished, wood mudsills are set on top of a bed of roofing tar- this is the first step in air sealing the framing to the concrete slab.
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Thursday morning. Earlier in the week, I had decided to not start framing until next Monday. I was hoping to get more information about the OVE framing from Katy, the engineer. I was hoping it would rain so we would not have to start. I was looking for any reason not to start. Truth is I was scared to start. All my training, classes, preparing, endless emails and meetings were over and now I had to actually begin to build the first new passive house in California. The burden was enormous and I was nervous and intimidated. I just needed a little more time.
Over tea and toast, I found my folly. I reviewed some PDFs on OVE and decided to cast my fear aside and just go for it. I dressed as if I were a soldier going off to battle. By the time I arrived at the job I was jubilant and cheering on the guys. “We are going to build a house today!”
Tilting up the first 2x6 wall section. The finished concrete slab is covered up with tarp and plywood scraps from another job. That green painting on tool shed/ office was a gift from Wild Carrots to 'Artisitify' the site.
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This is a header for the living room wall window. It is composed of 2 1/2" of foam sandwiched between two 2x6s. It breaks tradition from "old school" headers in that it offers a thermal break in the wall assembly. A traditional 6"x6" solid wood header would have an R- value of approx R- 5.5 whereas this header has an R value of approx R-18. Our current building slogan is "less wood, more insulation".
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South wall almost complete. Rain on finished concrete slab.
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Happy Easter.......Terry
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