Thread: Sitec's House build.

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With the footings dug, it was time for concrete prep. Some pre concrete termite treatment went down, then the plastic sheet, then the double mesh in prep for the 150mm pad (something I'd specified having seen how many houses have cracked floors).. As the house was sitting on built up ground, I wanted the thicker slab, as well as for its insulation properties. The builder also insisted on piers back to original ground level (something I said wouldn't be needed). As the digger driver got digging, he soon agreed with me, and couldn't believe how solid and compacted I'd got the ground. Something to do with a 12 tonne truck.... damp ground, and being built in 200mm increments me thinks!

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We have a pad!! I know the concreter's have to work fast, but these guys wee like human dynamo's! They arrived at 8am, and were gone by 2pm! I got there at 4pm, and managed to give the pad its first water soak. Right or wrong, I was taught years ago that the slower you let the concrete set the stronger it is... With this in mind I set about drenching it morning, noon and night. Luckily the builders were in no rush to continue, so I managed 10 days keeping the pad damp. Nature helped several times. By the time the timber boys arrived, that concrete was hard!

Great job, I am following with interest!
Have to agree with your theory on the slab too.
A bit of over engineering and extra expense now, will be nothing when you look back in years to come, and the structure will be so much better for it.
Did you up the MPA on the concrete as well? What size is the dwelling going to be, will it be multi story, and is it brick?

Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by mick88

Great job, I am following with interest!
Have to agree with your theory on the slab too.
A bit of over engineering and extra expense now, will be nothing when you look back in years to come, and the structure will be so much better for it.
Did you up the MPA on the concrete as well? What size is the dwelling going to be, will it be multi story, and is it brick?

Cheers, Mick.

Hi Mick.

I left the MPA at whatever the builders standard was, as the house is only single story and timber. It's also reasonably small by Australian standards at just under 200 squares. As it's only the two of us we've gone for 3 bedrooms, with Bed 1 and ensuite being large, and the kitchen/living being a large open plan setup.

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With every new pad, I'm told there is a party, so we obliged, and set the table, swags and BBQ roughly where the table, beds and cooker would end up and then invited some friends around to drink and stay over! This was to be the first of many!

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Finally things really start to move. After a 10 or 15 day delay between the pad being poured and the trades turning up, when they did, they got on with it. The chippy is a local guy, and everything he does is good. He did make the comment that the concrete was very hard! Things seemed to settle finally. We'd had delay after delay at the beginning due to the heavy rains we'd had, and then there was the 'issue' with spoil removal.. We'd written in an allowance for spoil removal, difficult site access etc... They'd failed to read it... so I requested an invoice for the spoil removal, and once I received it, I returned it along with a copy of the contract (on which I'd highlighted the paragraph showing the allowance for spoil removal).. I'm told that by trying to charge us for something that had been agreed on in the contract that then makes the contract null and void... Seemed to work too! After a phone call telling them to get on with it, they seemed to jump.. lots!

So, I've tried to continue this thread, but for some reason all my photo's are now too big. Any ideas!?

Originally Posted by Sitec

So, I've tried to continue this thread, but for some reason all my photo's are now too big. Any ideas!?

Take smaller pics??
Use a smaller camera??


Cheers Rod