House Build

A few pics from today

The are moving OK on getting the work done for the supports for the roof slab. Once the rebar is done we have to rough in the plumbing and electrical, so not sure exactly at the moment when we will be ready to place concrete. The wife is also trying to find another 20 workers and rent another cement mixer.

No EVG panels today, was told that it will be tomorrow. Didn't surprise me and since the guys still need to redo the formwork for the overhang and carport it is not really a delay.

Shawn

 

Some pics from today

The EVG panels have yet to arrive, now it sounds like tomorrow; not going to get too twisted as I think the wife is feeling more stress over this than I am. The remaining panels we will need should be in Cebu next week sometime so the wife is planning to make the trip again as well as getting the steel square tubing and a couple other things that we will need that she found cheaper there.

We still have work to do on the roof slab forming, but are progressing. You may notice the rebar going down through the beams, this is to secure the EVG panels from the beams as well. This will be my first with these panels, so I had to come up with a plan to tie them in with the spacing and length of the rebar. I never was able to get a response back from the company or any guidance, so I just went with what I think it should be. All four sides will tie everything together, so I am pretty confident it is going to work fine.

Most of the 2nd floor roof will have a short wall around it, so they are installing that rebar as well. 1/2 of the roof has columns and beams to support a roof for that area.

The wife found the guys cutting the rebar from the first floor columns and immediately stopped it. 9 columns are for the second floor roof area, the other 6 just support the slab. The drawings do not show those 6 columns tying into anything, but once I saw the extra bar I wanted it bent down and tied into the roof slab. I guess 4 out of 6 isn't bad.

Shawn

 

Are you going to try and pour it all at once? I would think so, but just asking. Please let us know how it goes.

 

Yes Sir, the plan is to place the concrete for the beams and roof slab at one time. Should be interesting as it is a fair amount of crete to place.

Shawn

 

Plumbing rough in started

There seems to still be a bit of confusion on the first floor columns and how it all comes together in regards to the smaller 2nd floor columns that will support the area that has a roof. They were all freaked out thinking a column was going up in the center of the stair landing. The wife understands now after going back and forth over the drawings, so hopefully she will be able to get the workers on the same page.

The plumbing rough in has started and so far they seem to understand what I want. I've never personally worked with this type of plumbing pipe before, but is supposed to be the best (or at least the most expensive). Since almost all the lines are running through the roof slab and down the walls to the fixtures I wanted the best we could get. I asked the wife to get some close up pics of the pipe and fittings and if she gets them today I will post them as well.

Shawn

 

Shawn that looks like the uv rated poly that we use here , it is good stuff , got a pretty thick wall

Tony

 

Tony,

It is polyethylene-aluminum-polyethylene. It is called unitec. Once the wife shoots me some pics I'll post them.

Shawn

 

Plumbing fittings

The wife did not get a clear picture of the pipe, so I will post a few pics of the fittings. A Google search of unitec and you can find some info on the pipe itself. What attracted me to it was that it was good for both cold and hot water.

Shawn

 

HDPE (high density polyethylene) tubing is very good and has a minimum lifespan of twenty years. The weakness is the fittings, which it looks like you have covered. Make sure all the fittings are accessible after the build and that you know the general area of all of them. Nails make excellent leaks in HDPE tubing! A little bit of slack in case you need to cut an inch or two off a line in the future comes in handy too.

 

This specific pipe is quoting a 50 year life span with no leaks...I'd like to think I may be around 50 years from now to verify their claims, but no guarantees in life. A majority of the pipe and fittings will be in the roof slab; many folks will disagree with that approach but it is standard in normal construction. My main concerns have always been plumbing and electrical which is why I went with the "best" product available for the plumbing and, as the schedule is shaping up, I will be on-site to not only get the conduit and boxes in but pull all wire and make all connections at the main panel.