Building a Shop - Excavation

I return to the construction effort today. I expect this to be brief.

 

Measure Twice Dig Once

driveway approach

The concrete company we chose to work with arrived mid-morning and set to measuring and stringing lines. As they started, I talked to the supervisor/owner Vai and we agreed that since the eastern property boundary was 100% confirmed and the west was squishy, we would base all measurements off of the east line. The southern line was not as clear, but the pin in the south eastern corner was still protruding from the ground, so that was a known good point. We extrapolated where the line was, but since the minimum rear setback (distance from rear property line to a permitted structure) is 15 feet and the shop was going to be 50 feet, there was little risk of getting dinged by the inspector for possibly being a few inches off.

 

With stakes and string Vai and his team defined the target space. Using a level, they determined, and then showed me, that the grade from south to north was actually at least as pronounced as the west-to-east grade that sent us down that straw wattle search. Because of the grade, the south west corner will be the closest to the ground, leaving the north east corner (the corner opposite) the highest at nearly a foot above grade. Since the entire building will have a 1-foot tall footer, there won't be gavel spilling out from under the foundation, but it does raise the driveway entry, creating a new problem to solve later: garage access for broken (and working) cars.

 

The Dig

diggin

I will admit that when I first thought about the excavation, I expected to have to manage many yards of dirt. I was grossly mistaken. Because of the grades we discovered, most of the digging was along the southern and western edges with only a slight scrape at the north east corner. The biggest removal of dirt was for the storm outflow at the back (south east direction, but still at least 15 feet from the property lines) and the trench leading from the back of the building to it. The operator lost one of the hard rubber tracks, but otherwise they would have had the dig complete in a couple of hours.

 

Framing and Ground Shaping

With the trenches done, Vai and his team framed in the outer edges of the foundation and leveled it. We could really get a sense of the foundation at that point. They added some large blocks of broken up concrete into the space near the eastern edge, leaving space for the footer. The idea is that having the large concrete blocks is superior to 8 or 10 inches of packed gravel under a foundation pad. That much compacted crushed rock can still shift where having large concrete shapes mixed in underneath the upper layer creates more stability.

 

Preliminary Inspection

south west corner

At this point, Vai wanted to have the county inspector come in and consider the work so far. Since we based all measurements off of the eastern line, we wanted to make sure the location of the structure would be approved before we got gravel and rebar in there. Washington County, while it has its flaws, has been highly responsive to my engagements for this project. Getting a preliminary inspection was no different: go to the website, request a 106 (foundation and locating) inspection and then in the comments explain that you want a preliminary inspection. The inspector arrived first thing and after handing him the packet of permitted plans we walked the property, and I explained how we arrived at the location. He agreed with the process, checked the measurements and approved our progress. He even approved of the use of the broken up concrete and explained to me why it was a good thing. His approval went into the system, attached to the permit and it generated an email to me indicating the the location portion of the inspection has passed.

 

Wrapping Up

storm outflow

This is where we are at this point. The reason our bid was so good was in part because our job was getting fit around other ones. So, Vai and his team are floating concrete on another job and the gravel is due in the new few days. They will be returning to place and compact the gravel, do the rebar and everything else shortly after that. At least that's the plan.

 

car stuff:

Hapy: After talking with the fine folks at Kennedy Engineering, I just ordered a replacement flywheel with a stage1 clutch kit. It will arrive in a few weeks. In the meantime, Hapy is in one piece and could be roll-started into service if needed. I am looking forward to seeing the condition of the old flywheel and clutch once I get things apart and on the ground... which won't start until after the new flywheel/clutch kit arrive.