Starting work on the subfloor

I decided to take the 4th of July week off from work to get back to work on the house and make up some time. With only three days vacation for nine days off, it seemed like a good stretch to accomplish something. But it was going to be hot. But that's what we get for working in June and July. 

I removed the old a/c disconnect box and pulled the wiring into the crawl space. I also had to re-route the dryer vent to exit into the front of the house, in the area between the new addition and new front porch. This is a convenient location and also a much shorter run than the old one. Hopefully this will result in less lint buildup.

The lumber package for the additions subfloor and the porch framing arrived about two weeks ago from 84 Lumber. We ordered everything except for the double 2x10 band beam that is used to go against the house and hold the joists running across the foundation. I wanted to select these myself to make sure I got nice straight lumber. Off to Lowe's we went and selected four 12' 2x10's and two 10' 2x10's to make up the double beam. 

The 23/32" Advantech plywood I'm using for the subfloor actually measured around 3/4". I had removed enough of the existing house siding and tar paper underlayment where I could see the existing plywood subfloor. The subfloor on the existing house is 1/2" plywood. We made marks 3/4" below the top of this subfloor and snapped a chalk line to mark the top of the 2x10 band beam. 

We nailed up the first layer of the beam along the string line. We used just enough nails from the new Paslode framing nailer to hold it in place. Then, I cut the next row of the beam to stagger the joints mid way between the first row and nailed those in place. 

Our plans called for using 5/8" through bolts, every 12" along the length of the beam, staggered top and bottom of the beam. But before drilling the holes, we laid out the joist hangers, so the bolts wouldn't interfere. The joist hangers were installed from the back of the addition to the front, so that the water line and electric for the pier coming out of the house were between joists. Going the other way would have resulted in a joist landing right where they came out. 

Each of these joist hangers had eight 10D nails to install. Since my framing nailer wouldn't work, I got a good workout nailing 27 joist hangers!

Now for the bolts. I got out my old 1/2" hi-torque drill to drill these 5/8" holes. We'd be going through 4-1/2" of material so needed a good drill to do the job. And when I say old drill, I mean it! This drill belonged to my Dad, and it belonged to his Dad. I'm sure used on countless projects, I get to use my grandfathers drill to bolt my house together. The last time I used it, I was drilling holes through pier pilings to make a walkway and nearly broke my wrist. As i was drilling, the bit got hung up, but the drill kept going. The cord wrapped around my wrist and I couldn't let go of the trigger. Thankfully before doing any real damage to myself, the cord pulled out of the handle, shutting the drill down. So, today I wired up a new cord inside the handle and with the knowledge of potential bodily harm, off we went. Or should I say, off Amy went. She ended up drilling nearly every hole in the beam. And got a good workout doing so. And did I say this drill has no reverse? You have to be careful not to drive the auger bit in too far, as it can get nearly impossible to pull out and clear the wood chips. 

Amy stayed outside while I climbed into the crawl space with a wrench to install the through bolts. She installed them from the outside, I added a washer and nut and held it from turning while she tightened it down. The whole house may fall down, but this beam will never separate from the house!

Now to get to the quick and easy part, installing the joists. I had to trim every joist by a couple of inches, so I brought out my Hitachi 12" sliding compound miter saw, set up a stop to index the 14' joists and cut each one the same. To install the joist hanger end, no nails are necessary. We just moved them into position, pressed them tight against the beam, and hammered them downward. They snapped into place and that was that. 

For the other end, I had previously made marks every 16" and a nail was toe-nailed from each side into the sill plate. Using the framing nailer made quick work of this. 

Once we came to the crawl space, things were a little different. I had to install a header over the crawl space opening to carry the load across it. Similarly I also had to install a header over one of the crawl space vents as the load from a front wall girder truss will be directly above this. I didn't realize this at the time, but once we had the truss layout design, I realized my vent was in the wrong location. 

The headers were made from 1-3/4" LVL's. That with the 1-1/8" rim board make up the header. Joist hangers were used where the joists ran over the openings. Otherwise, it was business as usual installing the remainder of the joists. 

Finally, we installed the 1-1/8" rimboard on the ends of the joists. The 37' long wall had a rim board from back to front, and then there was the 3' short wall on the existing house side that needed a rim board. This was toenailed in place. A nail in the top and bottom of each I-joist (staggered) was also needed. 

At that was a day's work! It was getting late and a perfect spot to stop. Tomorrow we'll get running on installing the Advantech subfloor. It should go pretty quickly. Other than taking plenty of breaks due to the heat!

Sill Plates Installed

So this weekend we tackled a pretty quick and easy, but labor intensive project; installing the sill plates. Labor intensive because you have to mix up so many bags of concrete just to feel like you've made some progress. In all of the days of laying the foundation block work, I think the most bags I ever mixed in a day was four. Today we were mixing ten bags to cover all of the sill plate anchor bolts in the block cells where we would need them.

For the most part, Maryland follows the International Residential Code. For us, this means anchor bolts every six feet, and within a foot of the edge of a board. I had to take into account where our future joists would lie and then space the anchor bolts in between, maintaining the proper spacing. 

I got Amy to help me go at this and help take turns mixing up the concrete. And instead of placing the bolts, then later coming back and drilling holes through the sill plates, I decided to drill the holes, install the anchor bolts into the sill plates and then set the whole assembly down onto the foundation, with the anchor bolts going into wet concrete. This ended up working out really well. There was one board that was warped just too much for my liking so we set the anchor bolts at the ends and let them harden over night. The next day we removed that nuts and pulled off the sill plate. The concrete had filled in nicely around the bolts and was nice and level with the surface. We added the center anchor bolts, filled with concrete and re-installed. I used some wood clamps and pull the board into submission. 

So next up is to get some work done on the boat to get it back in the water for the season and off my plate. Then back to the house. I'll need to remove the old air conditioning fuse box from the side of the house, and I'll have to get into the crawl space and re-route the dryer vent as it to is in right in the way of the new floor. Once that's done I can install the new band beam that runs the length of the house. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Foundation Backfilled

So this weekend the weather held out and so we were finally able to get the excavator that dug the footings back out to backfill around the new addition foundation. He and his crew were able to knock it all out in a single day. 

They showed up with a big dump truck load of fill dirt. They used the bobcat to dump dirt around the inside of the foundation (crawlspace), filling in the footing trench. The rest of the fill was used to fill in the footing trench on the outside. Originally he figured he'd use two loads of fill, but only ended up needing one load. A load of pea gravel came next. They used the excavator to scoop it from the dumptruck and pour it into the interior crawlspace area. They raked it out nice and thick and even. The small pebbles should be easy on the knees. Anything will be better than the uneven dirt foundation under the original house! 

Finally, a load of topsoil was spread around the whole area. This covered all around the new foundation and also covered all of the ruts and torn up yard from the previous four months of construction. And then they were gone. I bought 100lbs of grass seed and nine bales of straw to spread around the new area. It's the perfect time of year to plant grass seed, so it should come up quickly. And hopefully I can keep it nice, and avoid any mud for the remainder of the project!

Done with the Foundation!

 This was the weekend I was determined to finish the foundation. I had less than 60 blocks to complete it. But...weather again. Saturday looked like my only day to get out there. But first I had to wait for it to warm up. Once it did I was out and going at it. And once again, I laid 47 blocks. That seems to be my average as I think I've reported that several times before. 

I was able to finish the back wall, and nearly all of the long side wall though. But by the time I cleaned up for the night, it was well past dark. Sunday was blustery cold with no chance to finish. Back to work on Monday, but only for a day. The kids Spring Break was this week and I would be staying home Tuesday and Wednesday with them. That gave me two more days, and as long as I had just one hour (weather be damned!) over those two days, I'd be done. I figured out I had 13 blocks left. And get this...of the 23 bags of concrete I had delivered I was done to...ONE. I had been averaging around 13-15, so I was hoping it would be enough. If it wasn't, I would make an immediate trip out for one bag. Yes I would. 

So on Tuesday I got out there, mixed up my last bag of concrete, set up the laser level again and went at it. It went smoothly while finishing the long wall, until I realized I had forgot to leave a space for the vent! No big deal, I'm just glad I realized it before it had set up and hardened. Wrapped around to the front wall and was done in no time. 

It turned out great. Everything came together great, perfectly level and absolutely square. I ran the laser level around the entire perimeter after I was done (just for fun) and got solid tones everywhere I put it. That's what a auto-leveling rotating laser level, a 4' level, a 2' level and a torpedo level will get you...if used correctly! And, the foundation is at the exact right height so that once the sill plate, joists and subfloor go down, it will be exactly even with the existing floor. This was critical as there will be a hallway and bedroom entrances from the old to new living spaces. The floor and ceiling (and roof too) must to be perfectly even with each other.

I must say, I'm glad it's over but I will actually miss it a bit. I fell into a groove and while still working very slow compared to professionals, I could keep a steady pace and work consistently. That is, until another batch of concrete had to be mixed up. And that I will not miss!

60 blocks this weekend, 297 total, 0 to go...

That felt good to write. Now, on to setting the anchor bolts and sill plates. So more concrete mixing is still in my immediate future, great! But, off for a little Spring Break vacation to Corolla, NC. And also time to spend a couple of weekends and get the boat ready for the season. 

One other little note to mention. In this picture of a mason line block I used on parts of the foundation, shows an old wooden one. This I got from my Dad. I don't know for sure, but I'd bet he used these to build his own garage, back in like 1980 or so. Now how cool is that? 

So Close...

So now that the corners are done, all I had to do was fill in between them. One obstacle was trying to figure out where to place the crawl space entry. I knew which wall it was going on; didn't want it on the front facing wall obviously, and the back wall will eventually be covered by a deck. But where to place it on the side? In the center, or towards one end? After much deliberation, we decided to put it a bit closer to the front from center. This way, there would be room for an air conditioner or heat pump past it, further towards the back of the house and away from normal view. See how what seem like simple decisions become complex? Not really complex, but they need to be thought through carefully. No turning back now. 



The other crawl space issue was the height and width of the opening. I purchased a concrete steel-reinforced lintel block to go over the opening. But I began to wonder if I really needed it. All of the crawl space openings I had seen recently did not have one; the sill plate went right overhead. But of course their foundation or floor setup was different than mine, so no obvious answer. I asked online and received some really good information. Forget the lintel block, but add another 2x to rim board to act like a header. Like any other header over a window or door in a wood-framed house. Simple enough! Then the joists would hang by joist hangers. 

Just to confirm we called the local building inspector. Explaining our solution and he quickly agreed. Maybe this was the norm....but not being contractors we don't know. The result of this is that I will have 8" more headroom that with the lintel block. And when the opening will be 24" tall to begin with, 32" is a huge difference. The width will be 32" which with the 32" height, seems plenty big. I set up a string line over top the blocks to act like a sill plate and crawled through...no problem!


So anyway, I had a three day weekend but the weather didn't cooperate on day 1. But Saturday and Sunday were just over 50F which is minimum to mix concrete as I have found through trial and error. 

I had to wait awhile for it to warm up in the morning and could finally start around noon. On Saturday I laid 44 blocks. On Sunday I had to wait longer and then had other plans later in the evening. 21 more blocks down. 

I just need ONE more good day to finish this up! But wait, next decision is where to place the vents!

65 blocks today, 237 total, 60 to go...

Corners Finished!

Once again I saw the weather forecast wasn't going to be ideal for the weekend. Saturday looked like a wash with rain and cold, while Sunday looked better. And of course, Monday even better yet. So I decided to take off a day of work in order to make some progress on this foundation. 

I got started Sunday afternoon once the weather warmed up enough. I worked most of the day and made good progress, getting up to the fifth course on all four corners. Once I set that top block on the corner and get it perfect, I don't want to touch it. I know if I go ahead and add another block next to it, I'll knock it out of position. So it's been my method to prioritize getting a new single course block on all of the corners, and then with what time remains in the day, filling in between. 

I also need to mention that I had some great help Sunday, for the first time. Both of my kids came out and helped me out. Chelsea was able to carry the concrete blocks around and lay them around the perimeter, just where I needed them. She made sure to point out to me that she moved 32 blocks! And she did indeed. Olivia had a hard time picking up the blocks so instead she helped me keep the mortar stirred up, adding a little water as needed to keep it just right. I sure was able to keep right at the task at hand with the help I had. 

29 blocks today, 122 total, 175 to go...

Monday was a really nice day; it was a good decision to stay home and work. After taking the kids to school (hey, we get to sleep in another half hour!) and doing other odds and ends while waiting for the temperature to climb, I started off on putting down the 6th and final course of blocks. For the 4th, 5th and 6th course corners, I've been getting out the laser level and using it to make sure they all are perfectly at the right height. And by doing so I've noticed that even though my string lines are about as tight as I can pull them, there is still some droop to them. Can't be trusted! They are still very useful to finding my corner marks and parallel lines, but I'm using the laser level for the height on the last couple of courses. 

I got the 6th course blocks and then keep on moving. I finished up the corners in the front of the house and then stayed right there and started filling in. Before dark arrived I was able to have 5 courses complete of an entire wall section. I getting the hang of this. And with the help yesterday, I had most of the blocks right where I needed them. This is starting to look like something! Though I need to brush off all that dried mud on the blocks... Actually, I'm thinking about painting the interior of the crawl space walls with white paint. I think that will lighten it up a bit whenever I need to crawl in there in the future. It would be easy to do now, as there's no way I would do it once the floor is in place.

Still have a long ways to go, but today I laid the most I had ever done, 50 blocks. I can really start cruising along now that the corners are complete. 

50 blocks today, 172 total, 125 to go...

Too Cold

I've been inside for a few hours now hanging out by the fireplace. I'm actually finally starting to feel warm. I think the weather hit the high of 43F here today for all of five minutes. I really wanted to make some more progress, so decided to go for it and do a little more work. 

But it was just too cold, and I worried about the concrete setting up. But I was able to add another course to all of the corners. Up 4 now, 2 to go. And I'm dead set on the mark at 16" below the finished height. I put down another 13 block using one bag of concrete (which is what QuikRete, the maker of the mortar I'm using actually estimates you'll use per bag). Then I gave up.

We're supposed to get below freezing tonight, so I covered all of my recent work in a couple layers of old blankets. That should keep things warm enough to set up overnight. 

With an average temperature here of 51F now, I'm done with this. If it's not going to be warm on the weekends, I guess I'll have to take another day off of work on a nice day if I want to make some progress. And I'll really like to get this done this month so I can get it backfilled, cleaned up and seeded for spring.

I was able to seed and straw the front area where the porch will go. Instead of using tarps to keep the four foundation holes clean where the porch columns will go (which wasn't doing a very good job anyway), I bought a sheet of plywood and cut it up to make four 2'x2' boxes. I cleaned the mud and dirt out of the holes and laid the box inside. That should keep the dirt out now and I won't have to worry about them any longer. And since this area is all at the finished grade, I can go ahead and get some grass planted, and at least make this side of the house look decent. Plus once we do to work on the porch, it won't be a muddy mess. 

13 blocks today, 93 total, 204 to go...