Welcome back to the CLT Core House Blog updates, in which we share how our team is finally beginning to see some of the physical results from many months of preparation. 

Our last blog left off with the underground utilities in place and the digging moving at full force. Now that the trenches had been dug and the pipes had been placed, it was finally time for the formwork to join the fun. 

What’s Better Than One Concrete Pour? Two! 

The project is separated into two foundations, so two pours, the first of which is for the bathroom and the kitchen cores that we have worked tirelessly to complete while off-site. Thankfully, after only a few weather delays, our team was able to put down the vapor barrier and place rebar, ending the prep work for our first concrete pour. 

We are now ready to pour the bases for the cores’ final resting place. The truck arrived early in the morning, and with the help of our instructors and fellow students, the concrete pour went smoothly, echoing how smooth the end result looks. 

Job Isn’t Finished 

But what’s there to be happy about? The job isn’t finished. We now have the hard work ahead of us, prepping for the second, and much larger, concrete pour for the whole house. We started by laying, spreading, and tamping all the gravel. 

Then we placed the formwork, vapor barrier, and rebar. At this point, we have both checked and double checked our lines to make sure everything is perfectly square.  

We’re now ready for the big pour! 

The Big Pour

At the crack of dawn, the concrete pump truck arrived, filling us all with excitement as we eagerly anticipated Judd Johnson from JM Concrete in Uniontown, AL, pouring the slab. Shout out to Cosby-Carmichael Inc in Selma, AL, for their support!

The finished slab looks amazing. We could not be happier with the result. Now it was time to unwrap it, removing all the formwork.

The permanent formwork we placed on the first slab created the ring we needed for the cores to fit once they’re placed on site. The depressed slab is tied to the house slab with the help of threaded rods in the formwork and with rebar in the first slab. We removed the box out, keeping clean access to the main waste line.

Last but not least, our team added the control joints to the slab with the help of a concrete saw.

But Don’t Forget About the Cores Off-Site!

Meanwhile, throughout all the work and chaos of the concrete pours, we still found time to complete the plumbing and electrical for the bathroom and kitchen cores, passing our pressure test with flying colors.

With the systems exposed and mounted on the exterior wall, we finished wiring up the interior and closed up the bathroom walls with backerboard, thin-set concrete, and waterproofing. It is now ready to be tiled, the last step before the big move to site.

Practice Makes Perfect

To perfect our craft, we have been honing our skills with cutting and installing exterior battens and flashing on the mock-up. Now that our flashing is finished, all we need to do is install the corrugated metal siding, protect our hard work from the elements.

Our team is energized and excited by all the visible progress we’ve been making. It all goes to show that careful preparation and hard work pay off.