Prepping for the floor pour...

We have finally reached the point where the basement floor can be poured. The preparation included getting all the drain pipes positioned, running the electrical and water lines into the house, connecting the septic system, and stubbing in the ground loop lines for the geothermal ground source heat pump. All these steps required fees, permits, inspections and approvals by the various bureaucrats who are here to help us.
Once all that work was done, Susan and I completed the leveling and compacting of the dirt inside the walls. The picture above shows Betty Baker of Baker Concrete and her crew shooting elevations for the pour.

We were fortunate to find used 4'x8'x 1 1/2" sheets of foam board for use as insulation under the slab. These panels have aluminum facing on both sides, and usually sell for $12-$15 apiece. We picked them up for less that $3 per panel. The reflective aluminum will have no effect beneath the floor, but I am also planning to use them between the studs in the basement walls. They will be covered with visqueen (heavy black plastic sheeting used as a vapor barrier). Then four inches of concrete will be poured directly over the insulation and visqueen.


This is what the floor looked like Friday afternoon. Naturally, a windstorm, complete with thunder and lightning came through Friday night and blew the visqueen and panels all over the hillside. I spent this morning gathering everything up and putting it back in the basement. Tomorrow Susan and I well refit and reinstall everything in preparation for an early Monday morning pour. Keep your fingers crossed that there won't be any wind!