Normal amount of lumber to find when digging a hole?

[MikeG]

If you’re going to have any kind of driveway leading up to it, you might also want to run a 2 inch conduit across the width of the driveway extending out a couple feet on each side with a cap, several runs at strategic places along the driveway.

For.... what? Trip wires? Claymores?

 

[ericbphoto]

For.... what? Trip wires? Claymores?

Landscape light wiring, irrigation lines, wiring for the fancy schmancy electric gate at the entrance, etc.

 

[Rick W]

Really not for any of the things you can think of, it’s more for the things you didn’t think of that come up five years later...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Been a while since I updated, but also been a while since any real progress has been made... I got my coinduit's through the floor, got the future use plumbing in. Concrete guy came a couple weeks ago and last Thursday got the rebar on the floor then Saturday I beat myself up putting PEX down, 5 ~300' long loops and about 1100 zipties in about 5 hours... I'm still sore... I powered through Sunday sorta and got my receiver tube cut into ~5.75" lengths and paint removed (just bought Harbor Freight 18" receivers), then cut up 6 5"x6" 1/4" plates to weld them to. Today I got those plates welded to the tubes. Next step is to make 3 more of those, cut up some 3" ABS into pieces to be plugs for my chain pots/floor anchors so I don't have to drill holes. Without further ado, here's some pics... Dodge isn't mine, but you can see the '90, the '00 Explorer and the parts Mountaineer...

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Been a while since I updated, but also been a while since any real progress has been made... I got my coinduit's through the floor, got the future use plumbing in. Concrete guy came a couple weeks ago and last Thursday got the rebar on the floor then Saturday I beat myself up putting PEX down, 5 ~300' long loops and about 1100 zipties in about 5 hours... I'm still sore... I powered through Sunday sorta and got my receiver tube cut into ~5.75" lengths and paint removed (just bought Harbor Freight 18" receivers), then cut up 6 5"x6" 1/4" plates to weld them to. Today I got those plates welded to the tubes. Next step is to make 3 more of those, cut up some 3" ABS into pieces to be plugs for my chain pots/floor anchors so I don't have to drill holes. Without further ado, here's some pics... Dodge isn't mine, but you can see the '90, the '00 Explorer and the parts Mountaineer...

Man thats gonna be one heck of a shop, heated floors who wouldnt be willing to crawl under a truck in the winter with that kind of luxury. Might end up taking an unplaned nap though sometimes i think the cold gravel makes me get the job done faster lol.

 

[Rick W]

@scotts90ranger, That is way way cool, very very jealous, great job!!!

But God forbid I wouldn’t have a suggestion, for that down-the-road need you can’t foresee. Take a series of “calibrated” photos in case you need to drill for whatever later.

Separate the floor in 4-6 sections, get a tall ladder (8-10ft?) and take some pictures looking down. Square up how you take the photos so you can overlap them for a complete pattern.

Before you take the pictures, tie a 6” piece of surveyors‘ ribbon starting in one corner, precisely every 5’ in both directions. Maybe lay a 100ft tape measure down in 4-5 places with key measurements marked in both directions. Also, at approx 10ft intervals (where there is a ribbon), put in a tiny plastic “stake” that sticks up through the concrete and cut it off even with the top finish after you pour (1/2” pvc?). You only need 4-6 in the whole slab. You’ll end up with a pattern with benchmarks of where everything is so you can locate whatever in the future. It’ll take you an hour now, and save days and damage later....

Also, I think I mentioned about putting a penny down in the concrete to mark conduit and things after the finish. I was over at the Redhead’s and got a picture where her driveway lamps will be (don’t remind her I’m supposed to put those lamps in!!).

Oh, and put in 50-100 more capped conduits in every direction for the future Christmas lights, etc.

Good luck, looks really great. In a dozen years, you can thank my descendants...

 

[scotts90ranger]

You can bet your tookus I'm going to take pictures from all angles, probably even fire up the ol digital camera instead of the phone... I plan on marking the skirt board where all of the rebar ends are. Tying the tape around spots isn't a bad idea. There should be about 2" of the skirt board above the concrete so that makes marking easier...

 

[ericbphoto]

There should be about 2" of the skirt board above the concrete so that makes marking easier..

The concrete finishing guys will splash mud on that. So extend your marks up where they won’t get covered.

 

[Rick W]

Rebar should be easy to find with a good magnet. I’m thinking more about the poly loops and conduits, making a grid work image you can measure from, but you have the idea.

And, on pour day, when you put your and your sweetie’s initials and the date on it, two suggestions: first put her initials on top and tell her you couldn’t do it without her! Second, along the same lines, put the memorial right against the wall, so if she’s not your sweetie later, you can add a piece of molding & bury her!

Good luck!

 

[scotts90ranger]

Here's the latest update, got concrete on Wednesday, as you can see there was freezing rain last night but it only got to 26F so not too bad. I'll do the saw cuts tomorrow since it's supposed to warm up to around 40F... Also threw in a picture of the man door porch I formed up in a few minutes before the first truck showed up... of course it was 45 minutes early... The form is 32"x48" so the porch will be around 32"x45" and the pieces are gonna be heavy to move by hand but should be movable... I'll drag it over by the man door with the forks or bucket on the tractor...

I didn't really mark anything other than I went around the perimeter with a big permanent marker and marked where all the rebar ends are, also sketched out where I made the open spot for the lift and where I left open for walls and such including where the rebar ends are on the same drawing for reference as well as taking over 50 pictures walking around in every direction I could think of and on a ladder from above. It's not perfect, I made some compromises and when I did the gravel I was a bit high so my receivers are almost all high by a little, two by almost 1/2" but if that gets too annoying I can grind that away...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Guess what, it's move in day! It's now been 4 weeks since the concrete was poured, it's hard and dry, I filled the saw cuts with backer rod and Siki Flex then put some "25% cure and seal" down yesterday.

I don't have the permits finalized and need to get two more permits (plumbing and floor heat) along with getting the electrical permit started and done before I do the final...

So far I rolled the 56" US General box (Bottom, top and one side addition) from the garage to the driveway, backed the 3 point forklift on the tractor under the thing with cardboard protecting the back, locked all drawers, put the tractor in first low with the wife following then went on the 100 yard 5 minute journey to it's new home... I was going to strap it down but the big straps were in the F350 by the shop so low and slow it was...

Now to grab a bunch more junk and move it over!

Pictures later, I don't feel like plugging in the phone to the computer right this moment...

 

[Dirtman]

Pictures later, I don't feel like plugging in the phone to the computer right this moment...

This sentence doesn't belong in this century...

 

[Rick W]

So far I rolled the 56" US General box (Bottom, top and one side addition) from the garage to the driveway, backed the 3 point forklift on the tractor under the thing with cardboard protecting the back, locked all drawers, put the tractor in first low with the wife following then went on the 100 yard 5 minute journey to it's new home... I was going to strap it down but the big straps were in the F350 by the shop so low and slow it was...

Pretty good insurance policy on the wife?

 

[scotts90ranger]

No idea on the insurance side, but I was going slow enough I could have gotten off the tractor and overseen the situation, while still in motion...

I have one unit of internet (DSL, 1mbps on average I'm pretty sure), I refuse to conform to the norm plus I just don't feel like buying a laptop or tablet....

The tractor got the box in just fine, then I decided to move random stuff in, all of my Honda's are in the building including the 200ES with 200X plastics and front suspension... All but the green one and the last 3 wheeler drove into the shop under their own power...

The tractor didn't really want to move the lift into the shop... I think that was the limit of the loader capacity... I couldn't steer very accurately with the front tires that flat...

 

[Rick W]

@scotts90ranger

Looks great!!!