The Slab is Poured!

After the site was scraped and excavated we were pleased that PD were continuing to keep to their proposed timeline by beginning to prepare the site for the slab being poured.

The photo below illustrates a few things:

1. The outline of the slab location was 'pegged' around the site with lines drawn in the sand, on fences and on the surrounding pavement.
2. 48 piers were dug into the ground to stablise the slab post constructed. This was recommended due to the soil test resulting in 'P' grade soil. The piers are quite deep and located evenly under the slab location.
3. The pipes were dug under the slab location for the sewer, gas, storm water ('bendy' pipes), wiring and general plumbing.
4. Then a light gravel was spread over the slab location to harden the surface.
5. They lowered the ground where the portico and garage would be located to allow for the small step down (~100mm).
6. The long shadows of the two home owners posing as photographers!

Lucky for us there was no sign of rain for the week.

To ensure the tradies have power to the site during construction, the distributor installed the electricity box connected to the newly installed power pit under the pavement (at the front of our house)

The last step to prepare the site before the slab pour was the laying of a heavy black plastic sheet directly on the surface. I trust the photo tells the story...

Next, the team received a delivery of what looked like the blocks to build an igloo. These blocks are polystyrene blocks for the waffle slab also due to the 'P' grade soil test. The waffle slab is thicker than a normal slab and has raised the floor of the house. It has in turn meant we need to raise the height of our driveway. It is important to check the FFL numbers on your site plan.

As you can see, the slab location was boxed with the slab finishing at two different heights. The frame will sit on the top layer while the bricks will finish on the lower level. We will need to raise our gardens/lawn around 15cms as a result of the waffle slab. As you can also see the steel sits on the polystyrene with the chairs holding them up. Due to the nature of the slab, our soil test suggests that we should ensure our land slopes away from the house slightly and it is recommended that concrete be laid around the perimeter of the house to improve drainage. Anyone building will need to be aware of this when building a waffle slab.

Finally, the next photos illustrate the finishing touches of the slab which was completed in one day. The team did a great job and the slab is quite smooth and flat. It also dried that afternoon! Take a look...

Once the slab was completed, we received a call from our site supervisor who said we would get weekly updates on the build progress and that we may be in within six months! This is great news and would mean we would be in before Christmas. We now anticipate that the frame will commence this coming week and should be completed in the next two weeks! If the roof is on before winter begins we should have limited delays on the build...