A week over due – or so – because of the rain, but here it is – the base of our home.
A major milestone on the long road. Suddenly the sand has a cause, a place in the world. We can now see our footprint and what our home will look like.
It was eight or so cement trucks scheduled in 20 minute blocks throughout the morning. The first truck was 5 tonne, the second 8 tonne.
It was great to see every single load checked and tested before being piped onto our block. I’m not sure how much is rejected, but it was very heartening to see this check being done.
The slab crew was a team of six blokes working methodically through the house, starting with the portico, hallway, driveway and rear. One was aiming the pipe, one was guiding it, one was holding the reinforcement in place, one was spreading, and one was smoothing like an artist. With a few quick glides, he’d done the front porch. He was testing the curing speed as he worked. It was quite mesmerising.
The slab is a wonderful piece of engineering marvel called a waffle slab. It has a tonne of gravel underneath, then lots of polystyrene pieces, steel reinforcement, then a concrete pour on top. It is much faster to lay, uses less concrete, and is stronger, I’m told. I’m also told it has better insulation, and is less prone to cracking.
I have since learnt we’ve had a heap of concrete piers sunk down to 3 metres to lock into the clay below. This, I am told will help keep the slab stable and keep it off the water. Think a slab on stilts, of sorts.
Slab inspection will take place on Thursday. Going well, there will be handover to the official build team.
Framing should start early next week.
Oh, and the first Metricon bill just arrived. Until now it has been a ‘free’ new home fantasy.
Back to my new found love of concrete. To you it looks like concrete, to us, so much more. I love the following sentiment from my blogging friends (http://ourcasuarina.blogspot.com.au/)
“This is where memories will be made. We’ll experience joy, and sadness. We’ll expand our brood with kids and pets. Friends and family will visit, and for them, I want this to feel like home as well. We will dream, we will cry, we will live, and we will grow. Right now it just looks like concrete, but for us it symbolises so much more.”
With a small tear in my eye, I couldn’t agree more…
E and M's Metricon Adventure 