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The concrete crew, A & D Construction from south of Odon, Indiana, came at sunrise and left at moonrise and a beautiful full moon it was.
All of our footings were formed and poured in one long day. First, the above-grade forms/drains were placed. This part of the site was under about three inches of water because very thick chunks of hard clay had come out during excavation leaving more depth than desired. Crushed stone had to be placed on both sides of all the above-grade footings. The footing depth here was to be 10 inches so the forms were three inches above the established grade. This left one inch for a layer of extruded polystyrene.
As the forms were finished, extruded polystyrene sheets were placed on the bottom and both sides of the formed space and reinforcing bars (rebar) were placed and tied together on metal lifts called chairs.
By this time the first concrete truck had arrived and they started pouring concrete. I found this situation almost comical as they were pouring concrete on one end of a wall section even before the rebar was all placed and tied at the other end. This picture shows concrete oozing toward one of the guys as he was racing to get the bars tied to the chair.
Twisting wires around the bars is a time-consuming operation, but he was using a tool, visible in his left hand, that grabbed two or more bars and wrapped and twisted them together with wire from a spool inside the tool. Just in front of his knees, if you look carefully, you can see one of the chairs that keep the rebar elevated as it is covered with concrete. It looks like two small ladders in a triangle, like a few pup tent frames side by side.
Most of the back wall segments are complete in this picture. Five or six guys are working constantly as the concrete is placed, plus the truck driver.
Up to this point the concrete trucks were able to pull all the way into the future living area. This was possible because the last wall along the east of the future kitchen area was not dug until all the other walls were poured. Here the guys are cleaning up the bottom of the footing trench under that wall so the polystyrene will lie flat in the bottom.
The footings are at two levels. Those under walls which will be under ground more than a few feet are formed above ground. These are the ones that have been shown so far. This trench is deeper than the frost line. Footings at this level will have a short wall on them that will bring concrete up to the level of the floor slab.
In the background we have spread multiple billboard tarps that extend about 20 feet up the hill to where a small hill of soil diverts rainwater from farther uphill to the building's sides. Water falling on these tarps, if all goes well, will fall harmlessly behind the footings without mud, clay and rock calving off the walls.
This view shows the greenhouse area. It looks like an island. The below-grade footings do not need forms since the earth does a darn good job of stopping concrete. The "walls" are very wavy because the soil came out in big sticky globs. As long as there is a straight area wide enough for the short walls, the footing is adequate. We also lined the trenches with polystyrene. A laser level sits on its tripod inside the greenhouse area.
Looking from the southwest corner to the northeast corner, a distance of about 72 feet.
Looking west to east. The final concrete truck is coming into view to pour the final 60 feet of sub-grade footing.
