A little on the Commercial side of things.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, with good planning and scheduled activities the pour was completed at about 1:30 pm and the troweling finish at 6:30 pm.

A crew stayed behind till 7:30 pm to cover the slab with a moisture retention fabric which will stay on for 7 days.

Concrete slabs on grade can be found in nearly every single industrial, commercial, and residential building. Whether they exist below a layer of flooring material or are exposed, slabs on grade provide foundation for all building foundations.
Concrete slabs on grade can be as simple as your residential driveway placed and finished by hand or as complex as this super-flat commericial floor installed with laser-guided screeds and power trowels. Regardless of the intended use, the engineering principles remain the same. Essentially, quality materials combined with good design and expert workmanship yield the best concrete slab.

Some designers have adopted the practice of using the vapor retarder at the bottom contact surface of the slab, a low water cement ratio with water reducers to control the workability of the concrete mixture, and a mat of steel in the upper half of the slab to restrain shrinkage and with that to control curling.

Imediately after the pour, elevation profile was taken on a ten foot grid and plotted to submitt to the Gym floor Installer.
The 1/8" maximum within any ten foot was achieved.

Now the wait is on until the 7 day cure and the wait again when the moisture is down to the now recommended 3.5 lbs in 1000 s.q. ft. in 24 hours.

It will take at least 45-90 days to get in internal moisture levels to the Manufactures specifications.

In 30 days or so, a moisture test will be done using the Calcium Moisture test Method. It will be re-tested accordingly until the moisture levels are within the safe and approved scale.

Why cure concrete. Curing serves two main purposes.

• It retains moisture in the slab so that the concrete continues to gain strength
• It delays drying shrinkage until the concrete is strong enough to resist shrinkage cracking.

The curing membrane used was as manufactured by Reef Industries.

http://www.reefindustries.com/upload...ecs/tg4000.pdf


Attachment 14011Attachment 14012[ATTACH]14013Attachment 14014[/ATTACH]

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, back at the Book Store project, the forms have been removed cleaned and trucked off site.

The waterproofing and underdrain has been started.

Attachment 14064

Attachment 14065 The system being used here is the Bituthene 4000 using a B2 primer for green concrete, Hydroduct 220 Drainage board with a 2" styrofoam as a protection board.

Attachment 14066 Once the membrane is applied, a bituthene lap sealant is used at all termination points and horizontal laps to assure of a good watertight seam.

Attachment 14067 Drain tile is used around the perimeter of the foundation, wrap in fabric and surounded in stone and the fabric wrapped over the top.

The whole backfill is done using nothing but 3/4" stone. Most likely the underdrain will see little water, the stone will let the water downhill until the pipes pick it up.

Busy today, but will try to submit more photos as we go.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

BookStore waterproofing is completed and here comes the backfill phase.

Attachment 14150 Stone and more stone.

Attachment 14151

Attachment 14152 Boy, I bet you John Bubber would like all this stone. ha. ha.
6" perimeter drain used is a smooth interior Polyethylene drain pipe capable of sustaining traffic with a minimum of 12" backfill.

Attachment 14153

Marcel

[David Nice]

Big project.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Students first day and finished not an hour to soon.

Attachment 14182 Attachment 14183 Attachment 14184 Attachment 14185

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, back to the Bookstore project.
It is time to get ready for structural steel arrival. and base plate elevations have to be prepared.


Attachment 14202 I use tapcon screws to set one with a laser and the other three are set with a hand level the screws can be screwed down or up to set the bottom of the leveling plates that are 1/4" thick.
The grout is placed and tapped down with a hammer until they rest on the screws. Tried to make this idiot proof. Works well.

Attachment 14203 Grouted plates.

Attachment 14204 Installing the grout.

Attachment 14205 Electrical conduits being brought in the building

Attachment 14206 Cored holes in the footing to bring in the Mechanicals.
The one pipe in is called a perma-pipe or Ric-wil would be another name.
Pre-insulated for direct burial for steam supply and returns.

Next phase will be steel delivery and erection for next week.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, the steel has arrived for the Bookstore project. All four loads of it and know the sorting and organizing begins.

Erection will commence tomorror.

Attachment 14291 Attachment 14293

Attachment 14298 Attachment 14299

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Thursday morning, time to erect.

Attachment 14373

Attachment 14374 Starting to take shape.

Attachment 14375

Attachment 14376

Attachment 14377 Christmass tree, is picking up three beams at a time to same installation time.

Main floor and columns were all erected in one day with one steel worker.
Three support people on the ground.
Not including myself.
I was looking out the door of my office to make sure everything was being orchestrated right. ha. ha.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Book store update on the steel erection.

Attachment 14458

Attachment 14459 Steel beams a flying.

Attachment 14460 Last piece at 3:00pm

Attachment 14461 Done

Attachment 14462 Pack up the Crane.

Bundles of deck for the Main floor and roof deck have been landed and now the torquing of the bolts, welding moment connections and installing perimeter bent steel plates for blocking and curtain wall system will commence.
There are also shear studs on this job and will show you the machine and how it gets executed in other follow ups if interested.
Until next time thanks for watching.

Marcel








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[Marcel R. Cyr]

Back to the Gym floor project;

It will be 30 days soon since the concrete slab was poured and has been monitored since for emmissions of water vapor until the moisture content is within the range of 3# per 1000 sq. ft..

Monitoring devices were installed called hygrometers set 2" in the concrete slab and monitors the relative humidity and temperature of the slab.

However, even after it has hardened, most concrete remains porous, so its moisture increases or decreases with changing temperature and humidity. Concrete's permeability, the rate at which it will allow moisture to pass, depends on the size and distribution of the pores in the concrete matrix. Generally speaking, the lower the water-to-cementitious-materials ratio of a concrete mixture, the lower its permeability will be after it has cured. Concrete's permeability can also be reduced by adding any of a number of products to fill in the voids in the concrete matrix.
Moisture given off by a concrete slab in an enclosed space is a concern. Two tests measure this vapor emission directly. One was developed by the ASTM Committee for Protective Coatings and Lining Work for Power Generation Facilities' Subcommittee on Application and Surface Preparation. To use this method, ASTM D 4263, “Standard Test Method for Indicating Moisture in Concrete by the Plastic Sheet Method,” a plastic sheet is tightly taped to the concrete. After 72 hours, a humidity reading is taken under the plastic with a dew point hygrometer.
Photo: Engius
For in situ humidity testing, this sensor is inserted into a hole drilled into the slab, where it reads the relative humidity at the midpoint of the slab. Note the o-ring seals.



Determining what humidity level is acceptable depends upon the surface treatment to be applied. For flooring or related materials, as an example, the relative humidity must usually be below 80%, and the floor under the plastic should be free of dampness, discoloration, or damp odors.

The Process is long and tedious, for the monitoring devices of the relative humidity right now is down to about 84% 2" down and needs to be at 75% before it will be equivilent to 3# of moisture in a 1000 sq. ft. area which is the specification for the hardwood flooring Manufacturer and installer reccommendations.



The College Client chose to rent a dehumidification unit to help expedite the moisture remediation process at a cost of $9,000 per month.

Once the relative humidity test is at the 75% range another test.

A second direct test, ASTM F 1869, “Standard Test Method for Measuring Moisture Vapor Emission Rate of Concrete Subfloor Using Anhydrous Calcium Chloride,” was standardized in the 1990s by the Subcommittee on Practices of the Committee on Resilient Floor Coverings. Its development, however, goes back to the 1950s and the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Then it was known as the RMA Moisture Test, or the Quantitative Anhydrous Calcium Chloride Test.


Setting up the calcium chloride test devices is quick and easy, but care must be taken to ensure a good seal at the surface of the concrete.


I have a few pictures of the set-up.



Attachment 14479 Attachment 14480 Attachment 14481 Attachment 14482

Hope some are interested in this.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Back to the book store project;

We have been busy, the steel is all up and decking is being installed.
Most importantantly is bringing in all the utilities required for the building to function as a whole.

Attachment 14748 Installing a drainage line through existing utilities. Communications, high voltage.

Attachment 14749 Communications, electrical, cable, telephone and Data from the Mother Building to the addittion.

Attachment 14750 Steam, sprinkler, domestic supply all installed in perma pipe.

Attachment 14751 All of this for a Book Store, makes you wonder doesn't it?

Marcel

[Peter C. Russell]

Hi Marcel, remember when I told you of the project in No. Berwick, we are converting a ranch into a cape? Had all kinds of problems with zoning, bank ETC. Well we are starting the project next week and I would like to post pictures of it but not sure where it would be appropriate. Any thoughts?

I think this could be a good educational thread, what do you think.

Pete

PS your posts on your project have been great!

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by prussell

Hi Marcel, remember when I told you of the project in No. Berwick, we are converting a ranch into a cape? Had all kinds of problems with zoning, bank ETC. Well we are starting the project next week and I would like to post pictures of it but not sure where it would be appropriate. Any thoughts?

I think this could be a good educational thread, what do you think.

Pete

PS your posts on your project have been great!

Peter;

I believe that this post category is as good as any and everyone can share the educational values if any, to all the Members of this Association along with the public that have access to this site. I might be wrong, and should hold it to Members Only, but feel that sharing with many is worth more than sharing with few.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, remember ha. ha. Did I say that right?

I strongly believe, that our sharing of capabilities and experience can and may help a lot of new Inspectors trying to make a living out there and can use as much educational help and assistance as possible.

I make more money building than Inspecting, but Inspecting will come as more of a full time job when I retire and in the meantime, a few inspections a month or three months works for me. It keeps me in the loop and no overhead and fancy gadgets.

I will be the first one to look at your pictures Peter, and I hope you try the same thing for the benefit of all the Association Members.

Maybe you could call it; A little on the Residential Side of Things. ha. ha.

Marcel


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[Peter C. Russell]

Marcel, thanks and I will call it " A Little on The Residential Side of Things!

Good suggestion and I'm looking forward to posting this project, it involves as I said converting a ranch into a cape, 50 year old home. Some of the extras are installing the service cables underground, foundation drains as well as the second floor addition.

Stay tuned for more.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Little update to my Bookstore project.



Attachment 14807

Attachment 14808 Installing exterior drainage through a mine field of existing utilities.

Attachment 14809

Attachment 14810 Electrical, Mechanical Steam, Water, Sprinkler feeds from the Mother builing.

Attachment 14811 Interior electrical and plumbing rough-ins and look at all that stone backfill. I love that stone. ha. ha.

Marcel