And so it begins..... my new garage

[Mike67]

Going back to your rebar block I would think it would be just fine as that's what they were designed for. The regular cinder block will work too, but if I'm not mistaking about every 6th course you run a bond beam which is much like the block you showed, its more of a U shape that you fill completely with mortar...

You will web it just like a form and pour mortar as each course progress..??? Right? Once cured it would essentially be a completed monolithic mass... But again , I'm no engineer nor do I sleep at a Holiday Inn!!!

 

[747mopar]

Going back to your rebar block I would think it would be just fine as that's what they were designed for. The regular cinder block will work too, but if I'm not mistaking about every 6th course you run a bond beam which is much like the block you showed, its more of a U shape that you fill completely with mortar...

You will web it just like a form and pour mortar as each course progress..??? Right? Once cured it would essentially be a completed monolithic mass... But again , I'm no engineer nor do I sleep at a Holiday Inn!!!

I don't plan on using mortar to fill the blocks but instead pee gravel mix concrete. I'm assuming the reason for the single large hole is to aid in pouring??? I've poured tens of thousands of ton of the stuff and really like the strength versus mortar, poor old cement mixer is gonna get worked over again!! Still using the old mixer my grandpa bought to build the house I grew up in...... don't make them like they used to.

 

[747mopar]

Finally got an answer from the excavator, he lost his phone again but literally has to drive by my house on his way home so??? Apparently his mother in another state is in pretty bad condition, he's been their with her and is headed back out today. The hoe is supposedly fixed and he handed me the keys so maybe I'll tackle the footers myself? I just hate the idea of me breaking something.

 

[Mike67]

If its a newer type with the wobble sticks you'll have fun! The older 6 valve wobble sticks are a little tougher to get synchronized but still not that hard... If he gave you the keys go for it....I don't think you would try to rag it out... Im curious how deep that stone is and if you will eventually hit the rest of it???

 

[747mopar]

If its a newer type with the wobble sticks you'll have fun! The older 6 valve wobble sticks are a little tougher to get synchronized but still not that hard... If he gave you the keys go for it....I don't think you would try to rag it out... Im curious how deep that stone is and if you will eventually hit the rest of it???

It's a wobble stick, dug a few tree roots out with it today to get a feel for it..... I got this! Tire was about flat or I would have shuttled some dirt around but tomorrow I'll fix the tire and get something done I hope. Poor old hoe is about whooped... I mean backhoe.

 

[barbee6043]

ya know the wife will want a new sofa after all this!!? ha

 

[PRND21]

Looks like a great project, always seems like you're not getting anything done when you first start a project. Looks like you're making some progress now. Site prep is crucial to a good solid building. BTW is that a Ferguson on the other side of your driveway? Had a '54 TO-35 with a Davis loader for many years, good little tractor.

 

[747mopar]

Looks like a great project, always seems like you're not getting anything done when you first start a project. Looks like you're making some progress now. Site prep is crucial to a good solid building. BTW is that a Ferguson on the other side of your driveway? Had a '54 TO-35 with a Davis loader for many years, good little tractor.

Sure is..... TO 30 to be exact. I bought it blown up. Dropped a valve, broke a piston, rod, sleeve and more but is quite the little tractor now although not having a 2 stage clutch for the PTO sucks in the woods! Still working on the hood but just finished a set of fenders for it.

As for the sight prep goes I've been worried about that spring turning everything to mud but should have that dealt with tomorrow.

 

[747mopar]

Progress is forging on now, put many hours in today shuttling dirt and getting the finish grade spot on. Should be digging footers tomorrow.. I don't blame my excavater for running from that damn hoe now.... what a turd, gotta hold the fwd/rev lever the whole time to keep it moving, tires don't hold air, lacks the power to fill the bucket, shifter feels like your shifting with a rubber hose, got a pillow for a seat................... My buddy brang a mini hoe over and I grabbed my dad's Steiner, between the 2 you can knock some work out in a hurry. I'm blown away by the Steiner with the loader, that little Kubota Diesel is an animal! Tomorrow I'll re inflate the tires, top off the leaky hyd, take a shot and go at it again haha... love it! Just can't wait to get to where all I have to worry about is me doing the work with nobody else involved.

 

[Pistol Pete]

Progress is forging on now, put many hours in today shuttling dirt and getting the finish grade spot on. Should be digging footers tomorrow.. I don't blame my excavater for running from that damn hoe now.... what a turd, gotta hold the fwd/rev lever the whole time to keep it moving, tires don't hold air, lacks the power to fill the bucket, shifter feels like your shifting with a rubber hose, got a pillow for a seat................... My buddy brang a mini hoe over and I grabbed my dad's Steiner, between the 2 you can knock some work out in a hurry. I'm blown away by the Steiner with the loader, that little Kubota Diesel is an animal! Tomorrow I'll re inflate the tires, top off the leaky hyd, take a shot and go at it again haha... love it! Just can't wait to get to where all I have to worry about is me doing the work with nobody else involved.

I hear that. When I built my shop, I bought a John Deere sub compact diesel with a bucket and backhoe. Great little machine, I moved over 80 ton of bluestone in the building before the pour and definitely did not want to do that by hand.

 

[747mopar]

Well mother nature had other plans, looks like I'll be fixing my driveway now! Never realized how much the grass slows the flow of water until I watched my dirt yard today.... looked like a river! Oh well the sight was starting to turn into a powder box so I guess it's all good but this will likely set it back another 2 days.

 

[747mopar]

4 pages into it and I finally got a footer dug. The guy did an excellent job digging them but late as usual meaning I couldn't get a truck out to pour it before my vacation ended. Couple minor issues, his bucket is 24" so I had to form them up...... or buy a lot of extra concrete. I went ahead and paid him for what he had done so I can just finish it myself but he treated me pretty good on the price given the aggregation.

The plan is to pour the footers tomorrow and get block and sand delivered asap. Hoping to get the walls laid up by the end of the weekend, doing it myself but hopefully can find some help. Things should start moving along now.

 

[PRND21]

As a friend of mine says, "Just enough to piss a guy off". I hope you can find some help, it's pretty much non-existent around here.

 

[747mopar]

Finding help usually isn't a problem around here until you take a day off work to do it and everybody else is at work which is the situation. Had a guy lined up but he got thrown in jail last night......... I then resort to my father in law (always great help) but he's got an appointment at the VA so it looks like my self employed buddy and dad are going to chip in. In about 3hrs I should have a footer and wouldn't you know it's another scorcher outside.

 

[Hemirunner]

All these words are confusing me. We need more pictures!!!

 

[PRND21]

Should have said dependable help. Dad's gone, all my uncles are gone, most inlaws are gone, stepson works 3 different jobs, no nephews worth a damn. Wife helps when she can. If there's work to be done it's pretty much up to me to get it done!

 

[747mopar]

Finally, the first bit of construction! I was naïve enough to actually think 7 yds of footers would be a cake walk..... uh no! Miserably hot and humid, felt like I was going to pass out if I didn't keep water nearby and this was with 4 of us. Fortunately when I called my buddy he had 2 guys working for him for $10 an hr so he brought them too and thank God he did.... I paid them quite a bit more than that though.

We poured the upper footer right on the pad where it's 36" below the exterior dirt then stepped the rest down 36" and poured it to where it's 32" below the top footer for a nice transition for the 8" blocks. We dropped in a double row of 1/2 rebar as we went then added rebar to pin the block in place. Because of the layout there will be a couple beams needing support so I formed up a 4'X4' pad 8" thick as well. The plan is to put at least 4" of 3/4" gravel down then pour the floor against the walls to secure them from ever pushing in. The gravel will leach away any water that might ever get under the footer via drainage tile. Now I need to pin down where the electric will enter, where the bathroom is going, where to put floor drains and where to bring the water line in. Getting block delivered tomorrow, time to start busting ***!

 

[Mike67]

Looking good!

 

[Richard Cranium]

This is the no-fun stuff, but very shortly, you'll have a structure.

 

[747mopar]

This is the no-fun stuff, but very shortly, you'll have a structure.

You aren't shitting, I hate the dirt and concrete work with a passion!!!! With any luck I'll be cutting wood within a couple weeks then back to prepping for the 24'X24' back in the dirt.