Last fall I scored a neighbours garage. It was 24 feet by 32 feet on a cement pad. Over 4 days a group of friends helped me tear it down, load it on a hay wagon and drive it onto the back property. This year I will put it up.
Mic and I scouted out a few locations and I decided that the old garden by the sandpit was the best location. There was a bit more slope than I wanted but a few scrapes with the bucket on the tractor and we had an acceptable grade.
The plan was to pour 12 pads around the perimeter.5 on each side and 2 more (making a total of four) across the back. The front of the garage will be open to start.
We surveyed the site and located our four corners. We marked out the five pads for one wall. Mic had three concrete forms from his workshop so we used those.
We started Thursday July 9th early in the morning. Placing the forms was tricky. The sod had to be removed without disturbing the ground underneath. Mic used a hook scraper for that. Next we had to make sure the form was level. A few tamps with the tamper on the high corners/sides and cross checking with the level did the trick. The last thing to do was to make sure the forms were in line and the sides parallel to each other. Oh yes, each sucessive form has to be level with the first.
Mic has an electric concrete mixer so we brought his big generator over to use. We had sand from the sand pit, a pile of leftover stone from the workshop and a 2000 gallon water tank nearby. I picked 8 bags of portland cement and we were ready to go.
Mixing cement is easy as long as you remember to count. We had a small metal pail and you counted 6 pails of stone, 4 pails of sand and 2 pails of cement. All into the mix with water added to the right constancy and then dump into the wheelbarrow, dump into the form, shovel out rest, work the cement with the shovel to get it even and repeat. Do this 5 times and you fill the first form. We did 3 forms that day.
I had threaded rod which I cut to 18 inches. Each form got a threaded rod dead center sticking about 7 inches out. 3 forms done, 9 to go.
Friday I took the forms off and set about setting the next two up. Mic said not to worry too much about getting them lat the same height as this was generally impossible and we would be using shims anyways, 5 hours and countless adjustments later and I was done. I had to dig down about 2 feet to get the forms in level as the land was sloping upwards but still, 5 hours!
Glenn was up for some country work so that Saturday we got the next two forms filled. 5 down and 7 to go. This process repeated alternating with Mic or Glenn until 2 weeks later all 12 piers were done. Well that was the hardest part right? We'll see.
Mic and I scouted out a few locations and I decided that the old garden by the sandpit was the best location. There was a bit more slope than I wanted but a few scrapes with the bucket on the tractor and we had an acceptable grade.
The plan was to pour 12 pads around the perimeter.5 on each side and 2 more (making a total of four) across the back. The front of the garage will be open to start.
We surveyed the site and located our four corners. We marked out the five pads for one wall. Mic had three concrete forms from his workshop so we used those.
We started Thursday July 9th early in the morning. Placing the forms was tricky. The sod had to be removed without disturbing the ground underneath. Mic used a hook scraper for that. Next we had to make sure the form was level. A few tamps with the tamper on the high corners/sides and cross checking with the level did the trick. The last thing to do was to make sure the forms were in line and the sides parallel to each other. Oh yes, each sucessive form has to be level with the first.
Mic has an electric concrete mixer so we brought his big generator over to use. We had sand from the sand pit, a pile of leftover stone from the workshop and a 2000 gallon water tank nearby. I picked 8 bags of portland cement and we were ready to go.
Mixing cement is easy as long as you remember to count. We had a small metal pail and you counted 6 pails of stone, 4 pails of sand and 2 pails of cement. All into the mix with water added to the right constancy and then dump into the wheelbarrow, dump into the form, shovel out rest, work the cement with the shovel to get it even and repeat. Do this 5 times and you fill the first form. We did 3 forms that day.
I had threaded rod which I cut to 18 inches. Each form got a threaded rod dead center sticking about 7 inches out. 3 forms done, 9 to go.
Friday I took the forms off and set about setting the next two up. Mic said not to worry too much about getting them lat the same height as this was generally impossible and we would be using shims anyways, 5 hours and countless adjustments later and I was done. I had to dig down about 2 feet to get the forms in level as the land was sloping upwards but still, 5 hours!
Glenn was up for some country work so that Saturday we got the next two forms filled. 5 down and 7 to go. This process repeated alternating with Mic or Glenn until 2 weeks later all 12 piers were done. Well that was the hardest part right? We'll see.
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