Third in the 2014 Vienna House Project Series
Building the concrete foundation walls of any custom home starts with a crew setting up the metal forms that hold the concrete as it dries.
The metal forms rest on top of the original concrete footers that also had the steel rebar rods. The concrete is pumped into the molds and the workers make sure that the steel rods stand straight. The result is a steel reinforced concrete foundation.
Concrete is poured all on one day so that the walls are uniform.
As the concrete is getting pumped into place, workers will gently move or stir the concrete to release any air that may be trapped. Although this might seem low tech, air will quickly come to the surface allowing the concrete to compact around the steel rods.
There is actually a window of time that concrete is mixed properly, so trucks will periodically arrive during the day and replace the empty cement truck that has just left its load.
Concrete actually gets stronger as it gets older.
Are you ready?
Because the custom home project is picking up speed!
It is always amazing to me to see that a few days after the concrete is poured, the guys are back taking the molds apart exposing the new foundation to the air. Typically three days!
And to see the window and door openings appear gives it the first appearance of being a house. It is the first sight of how the light will come in (very important) and the future view of the yard.
Understanding that this is a custom home being built in Vienna is important. That will mean a big difference in the finished product quality and features compared to a production builder. You will see the finished workmanship and it will stand out if you are planning a project or hope to increase the value of your production home with some custom remodeling.
See More Photos!
Are you interested in seeing more photos on Google? As the project continues I am updating a Google page with a ton of photos so take a look to see where everything started and where the project is today.