October 23, 2022 House Update
Lots of progress on my house build.
I poured the “finished” floor layer inside. Yes, it still looks unfinished, but the height is correct now. The last step is sanding, sealing with linseed oil and polishing with beeswax. That will be done after the roof is on and the electrical has been done.
I used concrete leveler on the concrete sections inside - what a huge difference. That stuff is expensive, so whatever can be done to get it smooth and level with regular concrete is a good idea.
I poured the patio and entrance pads, in the photos. You can also see the first wood frame walls, the north/east dining room walls. They need to be framed now because the bond beam runs across them, too.
I have the wood for the other interior walls, but I think I want to pour the bond beam first so I know exactly how high those walls need to be.
You can’t see from these photos, but I’ve drilled holes in the top row of blocks so that when the concrete bond beam is poured on top, concrete will flow into the holes, making the bond beam like a giant Lego piece so it can’t shift around on the wall. That took a lot of patience, moving the scaffold along the wall a few feet at a time and drilling each hole.
My goal is to get the roof on before winter so I can enclose the house and finish the inside over the winter. All that will remain is a stucco job outside when it gets warm again.
I’ve cut 16" strips of 1/2" OSB to make a channel on top of the wall. Once I get those piece screwed in place, I’ll set rebar in and get the bond beam poured. Then I can make the pony walls and drop in the vigas on top, put in the ceiling, and mount the trusses above. If that all goes to plan, I’ll have a few weeks to sheet and finish the roof before January.