Things have progressed quite a bit since the last post. Richard and John from B&C construction along with Michel did most of the work. First, they continued laying down row after row of ICF blocks. Once this got to 4 rows of blocks (about 5 feet high), they started installing the special ICF bracing. The bracing is pretty cool as it not only supports the walls, but also creates a scaffold that you can walk on to install the higher courses.

 Next row of ICFScaffolding starts to be installed

We initially had rented 50 sets of braces. This turned out to be well short of what we required. Richard had to call various contacts and in the end we obtained another 60 sets (for a total of 110 braces). Richard, John and Michel continued installing the bracing and the blocks; this turned out to be more time-consumming than expected due to the complexity of the house.

Initially, we set as a target to pour the walls on June 22, but as the week progressed it was clear we would not be ready – so we re-booked the concrete and pump for the Monday (June 25). Even with the extra days, Rene, Richard, John and I had to work non-stop on Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning to be ready for the pour. This is how things looked on Monday morning:

Additional scaffolding installedRene and Michel doing last minute preparationsRichard placing stringline along the walls

For the day of the pour, we had a total of 6 people – Richard and John (B&C), Michel, John Marquardt, Rene and myself. The concrete pump showed up around noon – we got going and poured until 7:30 that night.

Concrete pump arrivesPump in positionRichard, John and Rene pumping the concrete

This was a very large pour but all went quite smoothly – no blowouts or major problems – but it was a long day. In the end, everyone was happy with the result:

The pour is complete

Michel, Richard and John in front of the finished product

Now we have to move on to the next stages: remove the bracing, clean the site, install the waterproofing and install the floor. After that, we will be ready for the second ICF story and the timberframe.

Out of interest, we have been keeping statistics on the materials we have used. This is how the basement stacks up:

  • 500 feet of wall 
  • 750 ICF blocks
  • 38 corners and angles
  • 110 braces
  • 7000 feet of rebar
  • 64 metres of ICF concrete
  • 3 weeks to build and pour

This is of course on top of what was used for the footings – 27 metres of concrete and 1000 feet of rebar.