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Pouring the Upper-Story Walls

Bob talks with Todd LaBarge of LaBarge Engineering, the contractor on the project, about the concrete pour. The process is a very fast-moving one, with the first-floor walls put up in two days plus one day for staging. With just two concrete pours, the footing, garage, first-floor slab, and walls have all been put in place. Around 70 yards of concrete have already been used. All the form work is in place for the upper levels of the addition, including the gable end. The ReddiForm blocks use a tooth system which allows the blocks to lock together. When the concrete is poured into the foam block, it pinches the joint together, making the form more stable. Using no-tie rebar chairs, the rebar is dropped through the center of the circle ties and through the foam cells. As the concrete is poured, pieces of rebar are inserted as needed. The higher end of the gable is capped off so the concrete will not flow out of the structure during the pour. When creating the peaked gable end, the foam blocks are tied together with pieces of wire while the glue sets. The forms can be adapted to fit any shape needed. A pumper truck is called in to pour the concrete. The operator of the truck is on the deck, controlling the flow of concrete via remote control.

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Chapters from this episode

Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor Now Playing

Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor

Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction Now Playing

Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction

Pouring the Upper-Story Walls Now Playing

Pouring the Upper-Story Walls

Pouring the Concrete for the First Floor Slab and Walls Now Playing

Pouring the Concrete for the First Floor Slab and Walls

Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete Now Playing

Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete

Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete Now Playing

Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete

Clip Transcript For:

Pouring the Upper-Story Walls

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" All right so Todd just to recap what's already happened here. I mean you're the contractor. You've done this before or ten years right yeah absolutely -- experience and this is like. I'm very fast working process. Yeah we have we did this. -- the first floor walls up. And I think we're in here for two days and then we had another day for staging yes we just. To concrete pours have taken place that got in your footing I get in your garage slab the first floor walls and and the slab that we're looking at down here right right the structural floor any idea how many yards of concrete have gone into these two poorest. We're -- seventy. Pushing 77 the OK and of course the thing is built like a fortress but now what we've got is all the form marketplace. For. The upper level as well as through this gable end wall -- We -- you know if you think about it that's really amazing that you can go. This high with the gable end like this in all of it is just styrofoam forms let's review again how the forms are put together. So the top course -- there's a tooth system. And they lock into each other yeah and that when them for the concrete on top of the web that hinges that joint down together -- tonight. And makes it more stable form. And the rebar is already in place in most of these areas right. Right we we have no tie rebar chairs that we just drop the rebar right through the senator. The media circles I can't I just noticed he was just passing up some more rebar says that means that as the pour is going along after insert additional pieces we've got it anywhere they re very short we'll put some dolls. May collapse. Kind of neat thing. There's a clear story is so -- this side of the -- is going to be higher than this side of the gable. And because of the solar he's going to have -- windows coming in on that -- wall six. So while we're doing is capping off the higher end of the gable end. Exactly -- the concrete won't flow out of that. That'll all we need to do is put a little bit of glue on there they'll tell how would put some nails in the -- the happily without glue sets -- and where. Good -- you'll be able to pour up there without any kind of oh yeah he's got some wire holding it but essentially the glue is gonna hold it together have been because the glue is minimally expanding. The ties that he's putting in basically hold the -- places for the blues until the glue sets out. This glue is definitely some powerful stuff yeah and this is the backside. Of the gable end which of course is higher by about three and a half feet than the front side in order to allow for our clear story. Blazing which is part of the solar plan here right. You see we made. Foam adapt to any shape that."

" OK so are we ready yet rated for the country. I -- and which you've got essentially is a big bumper truck behind this here. And where's the operator. -- operators that -- here in the on the death various so that man over there who's got the yellow box the control watch movies is they close to me didn't. -- we both know what we're doing during the war and we're gonna start of the back end right correct I was just aren't right. -- But."

" OK so what we're watching them do up there is -- Kind of like that -- the final step after pouring the concrete into the form weren't. They've already included the threaded rod and -- free drills. The top plate of the wall so that basically will be the transition the wooden transition. From concrete to the wooden roof system and this is all about speed -- is going very very well."

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