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20th - 26th May 2002

Lots of preparation work this week for the upstairs slab.  18 truck-loads of pea metal, river run, & small stones were brought in to backfill behind the house up to the required new floor level.  This was then spread out with a Bobcat and Dad & I  compacted it with a small hired machine.  We've been quite lucky with the weather as the only access to the back of the site is now via the steep slope on the West side.  All of the trucks so far have managed to get traction as it's been so dry. 

This phase of the construction is costing much more than we originally budgeted for.  That's part of the joy of building into a hillside I guess, but having a huge double garage beneath the house as well as a large back yard will make it worth it once it's finished

Graham & Alan boxing up the footings.  The concrete will be 100mm thick at the back of the house and then will flow through and tie in with the uni-span slabs over the basement (110 mm thick).

Dad & I tying the HRC mesh on top of the uni-span concrete slabs.  The plumber also filled the waste penetration holes with polystyrene and expanding foam.  The boxing around the slabs is used custom-wood (MDF) sheets which are also tied and tweeked to the steel starters coming up from the block basement.  Further boxing will ensure a 40mm rebate around the top of the slabs exterior which will eventually seat the bottom of the polystyrene sheets beneath the external plaster finish.

The footings were poured on Thursday.  Concrete used: 3 m³   Strength: 20 MPA