We got slab!

The concrete crew showed up at 7:30 this morning to get the dirt leveled inside the foundation walls and lay down a rock bed for the slab. Hit a soft spot in the soil - probably where a root was - that took a little extra digging and backfill to get solid ground. Had rebar laid in at 2' on center to keep things as solid as possible. Sort of glad I was there as they were short 3 sections of bar, and had no intentions of adding those pieces in. It's overkill and I wouldn't have ever noticed I'm sure, but I feel better knowing it's done right.

Also had two 4'x4'x12" thick (total) pads installed where the 2-post lift bases will be mounted - again, it's overkill, but at least I won't question whether it'll hold. You can sort of see them in this pic - right about where the yellow handled tool is sitting on the right side (and the other to the left of that).

The concrete ended up going down a bit soupier than I had hoped on the first 5-yard load, but the 2nd and third trucks were a little better. In retrospect I should have reiterated the fact that I wanted it poured as dry as reasonably possible again (like I did with the footings), but I backed off since the footing guys poured it a bit too dry when I made that request and weren't able to work it very well in the heat.

I think Thomas Concrete (Thanks Brian!) also added some retarder additives to slow down the curing in the high heat, as the workers waited for a good while for that stuff to set up (nothing like the footers which set up too quick), despite the 95 degree heat today. Luckily, the freak rain storms held off JUST long enough, and in fact added water to the slab at just about the right time.

Here's a shot right after the rains.... of course the surface isn't absolutely perfect (nor would anybody expect it to be) but the water at this stage of evaporation REALLY shows the irregularities.










While most people water their lawns in this heat, we're watering our concrete for the next few days. Of course, the intent here is to keep the curing as slow as possible, with the intent to maximize strength. Unfortunately, we've already got a handfull of hairline cracks visible, which doesn't thrill me at all, but it's pretty much going to happen regardless, especially when pouring in the summer. That's why we added the rebar though - control the cracking where it happens. We'll keep our fingers crossed that these won't get any worse and take it from there.