Demolition to Concrete

Article - July 14, 2012

We are just finishing up Week 2 of the Dream Shop build and there sure has been a lot of progress. The first couple of days were spent demolishing the old fire pit and sidewalk. Those of you who were watching the live cam saw that there were only two guys assigned to this task. Frankly, I thought the pace was a little slow. But that was really just the calm before the storm. By the third day, there was a full crew here to remove the rubble and prep the site for the concrete slab. Below you can see the area before the work, and after the initial demolition. And yes, that is a picture of my dog getting ready to pee.

Fast-forward to the present and we have the concrete poured for both the shop and the attached patio. The shop patio takes a 90 degree turn near the house and eventually connects to our exiting patio. Part of our HOA requirement is that the shop look exactly like our house and we thought the patio was a nice touch, especially given the fact that the overhang would provide lots of relief from the sun.

You can see some of the details below including the plumbing, electrical, and floor outlets. I was surprised to see that the slab gets poured even before any trenching is done for utilities. But I suppose once everything is in place, you can simply make the connection outside the slab and you’re good to go. You’ll also see a shot of the floor outlets. I am having them install two clusters of two 220v outlets as well as one cluster of 110. The 220v is for the big power tools in the back and the 110 is for my Festool MFT setup toward the front. It’s a bit of a gamble trying to predict where I am going to need those outlets, but I just couldn’t resist the opportunity. I used my SketchUp drawing for reference so I can’t be THAT far off!

Lucky for us, the Arizona weather turned to rain this week so I’m saving a few bucks on my water bill, as I try to slow down the cure time of the slab. So far, so good.

And if you’re interested, you can jump into a discussion we’re having in the forum about shop flooring options.

Discussion

Blogdog July 14, 2012 12:34 pm

What are those lines in the patiofloor?

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- thewoodwhisperer July 14, 2012 12:41 pm
  
  Are you talking about the expansion gaps?
  
  Reply
  - Blogdog July 14, 2012 12:55 pm
    
    okay, yes, thx. Looks really straight, smooth and flat. I saw them doing that by hand they were wearing sumbrero’s, nice job. No rebar used i guess.
    
    Reply
    - thewoodwhisperer July 14, 2012 1:15 pm
      
      rebar was used in the footers, where the footers meet the slab, and where the two patios connect. But that’s about it.
Claude Stewart July 14, 2012 4:06 pm

Looking good.

Reply
skidesmond July 14, 2012 5:28 pm

Sure looks like a construction site, just a bit jealous :-)

Reply
Dan Drabek July 14, 2012 5:43 pm

I don’t see any street lights in the photos. I bet you have nice, dark skies. As an amateur astronomer, I’d be thinking about setting up a telescope in that backyard. :->

DD

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- thewoodwhisperer July 14, 2012 5:49 pm
  
  Yup, no streetlights in our development. The night sky can be pretty awesome around here. Not quite as amazing as the Grand Canyon though. I couldn’t believe how vivid the sky gets. So many more stars than most of us are aware of.
  
  Reply
Tom Crawford July 14, 2012 8:11 pm

WOW!! You have your own Porta-Potty. How cool is that.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 14, 2012 9:12 pm
  
  my whole backyard is my porta potty. Someone must be giving me a hint.
  
  Reply
NickTD July 14, 2012 8:47 pm

So, which anticipation is worse, waiting for Mateo or waiting for the dream shop to be done?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 14, 2012 9:11 pm
  
  Waiting for Mateo was way worse. Nicole was sick every day. He couldnt arrive soon enough. ;)
  
  Reply
Andrew Wilkerson July 14, 2012 8:50 pm

Looks great Marc, I’m jealous too. If only the bank would lend me some money but on my self employed woodworkers wage they refuse to even lend me $5000
You should come down under and see the milky way out here on a clear night. Blows me away after growing up in the suburbs and moving to the country a few years back, amazing difference.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 15, 2012 3:39 pm
  
  I have to say, borrowing money for this project was/is no picnic! It’s a very tricky lending market these days.
  
  Reply
Eric July 14, 2012 9:45 pm

You Phoenicians LOVE your walls. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never seen a city that has such an addiction to 8′ block walls between properties. I guess once it gets started in an area, it’s tough to break free of it.

Looks like a great project so far, Marc. All the best for TWW. I know this is a lot of risk going in, but I think the best days for TWW are ahead.

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Jay Hilgenberg July 15, 2012 12:15 pm

Was the concrete in the slab fiberglass reinforced? I have heard that it is being used more and more instead of rebar.

I would hate to see any setteling cracks appear in the floor, as I am sure would be too.

How thick is the slab?

Drirot

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 15, 2012 12:45 pm
  
  No fiberglass that I noticed. The slab is 4″.
  
  Reply
Jon McGrath July 15, 2012 4:03 pm

looks great – moving right along. Once those walls start going up, oh boyyyyeeee. Very cool Marc. Very happy for you and family – will be able to have that separation but still right there.

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Frank July 15, 2012 4:54 pm

Looks like they saved you a ton of money on plumbing. Just ask them to leave the portajon behind when they leave.

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Frank July 15, 2012 7:00 pm

What kind of finish is that on the concrete? Shellac? Did you do a French Polish on that slab? Waterlox? Branching out into other types of surfaces to finish? When are we going to see a video on “How to French Polish your Driveway?”

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jHop July 16, 2012 7:51 am

One little secret on concrete: it takes years to cure.

The curing process we all know about is basically the outer layers. To have the center fully cure takes a really long time…

I’m surprised they didn’t lay any trenching down for the utilities prior to pouring the concrete, especially for the sewer lines. Even if it is just a corner portion, it’s easier to lay the pipe before leveling and compacting. I’m kind of curious how the concrete differs in your neck of the woods from, say Maine or Seattle processes… different atmospheres, humidities, salt content, etc..

Congrats on the build! You gonna put Mateo’s hand print or foot print in the driveway when it’s poured?

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- thewoodwhisperer July 16, 2012 8:40 am
  
  The driveway area where the trenching will be done has yet to be leveled and compacted. From what I understand, the concrete driveway is going to be one of the last things they do. At least well after the framing.
  
  It is indeed interesting hearing all the different methodologies. One thing is clear, things are WAY simpler in Arizona.
  
  And yes, when the driveway is poured, the whole family will be make their mark near the front door. :)
  
  Reply
Mark Loughran July 16, 2012 9:33 am

Congratulations on beginning your new dream shop Marc!! Here’s wishing you many years of happy woodworking in it!!

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S.Wellington July 17, 2012 9:53 am

I’m actually getting excited for you like it’s my own. Takes up up a few min. a day zoning out in dream land. :) Can’t wait to see the rest go up! How cool is that? Are you the one organizing all the sub contractors? That can be a pain in the &%$@.

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- thewoodwhisperer July 17, 2012 9:55 am
  
  Thanks man. It really is something of a dream come true! And no I’m not organizing the subs. I have a general contractor that’s doing all that. Judging from the pace I’m seeing out there, I am very glad I made that decision. That’s a headache I do NOT want. Not to mention I’m not nearly qualified enough to make sure everything is being done properly.
  
  Reply
S.Wellington July 17, 2012 10:03 am

To watch the live cam of your build? is that only open to guild members?

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- thewoodwhisperer July 17, 2012 10:06 am
  
  No it’s open to the public. I am just using the Guild feed because it happens to be pre-embedded in the page right now. I’m not streaming live at the moment because no work is being done. Framing starts tomorrow and that’s when we’ll get the cam back up and running.
  
  Reply
Tim July 20, 2012 11:14 am

So this looks like Glendale around Happy Valley Rd/I17? Looks like my brothers neighborhood. Man, it would be sure nice to have a cup of coffee with you sometime and talk shop : ) I’m a stones throw away down here in ol’ Tucson!

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- thewoodwhisperer July 20, 2012 11:29 am
  
  lol nope. But I imagine many neighborhoods in Arizona look alike. Once it’s finished, I’ll have to have you over to the shop!
  
  Reply
Resin Bonded Gravel January 31, 2017 5:56 am

Certainly looks a good transformation to me, I need to re work my patio area out in my back garden. I have a couple of options though and I am looking for some advice if anyone has had some past expereince. I have been trying to research resin. I have a friend who has a drieway in resin and I thought I might be able to use resin for my patio area. Has anyone else had or seen a patio area made from resin before?

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Demolition to Concrete

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