WK17C: Lower Floor Slab.

We began the week by laying out the rebar grid for our lower floor slab. Since the earth beneath the slab was not tested to certify it’s density, we are required to build a structural slab. In our case the structural slab consists of #5 rebar, 8 inches on center. This is an incredibly strong layout and the deck is entirely self-supporting, and also acts as a rigid diaphragm for the lower masonry walls and foundation.

You can see that that the slab is supported on concrete bricks called “dobies” pronounced “dough-bee”. These will support the rebar grid before the pour, and ensure a separation between the rebar and the sand.

Our slab is 6” deep and will have an “architectural” finish, in case we want to leave it exposed. I haven’t decided on that one yet, and plan to wait until we get to our finishes to see if the budget can afford another material or not.

The pour happened early in the morning on Thursday. Since the concrete is 3000 PSI and we’re in the middle of summer, the cooler hours of the morning are critical to the success of the pour.

As concrete increases in strength it’s heat-buildup also increases, and thus it cures faster. We have a full crew on site for the pour that includes finishers to make the concrete look it’s best at the end of the cure.
The pour was a success! We’re on to waterproofing and framing next week, and things are going to get a little crazy with so many different teams on site. We’re more or less still on schedule and should be done with the project by early April- 1 year from the time we started.