Now that the formwork for the slab has been installed, it's time
to prepare for the pour. First step is to place a plastic sheet
on the ground, to keep ground moisture away from the concrete.
That's the black material. The white material is
high density extruded polystrene,
which is very stiff and well up to the load. It's also guaranteed
to maintain it's
R-value
at 95% or more for 20 years! Not cheap, but good stuff.
A closer view of the same area, showing the plastic sheet and
insulation. As well, there is a thin mesh; this will be used
to layout the hydronic heating pipes which will be tied to this
mesh. Once the pipes are laid out, the heavy duty (structural) mesh will
be installed, and this lighter mesh will be tied to the bottom
of it, thus lifting the pipes into their proper position.
Some parts of the slab are thickened. I don't recall the reason.
There are three of those areas here - left, centre and where Garry
is working. They are defined by the heavy mesh installed into the
trough, and also where the insulation drops down. This is viewed
from the western courtyard, looking towards the front door.
Ryan is applying the thin mesh in the family room.
View from the south west corner outside the en-suite, showing the
plastic sheeting and it's sealing at joints.
The finished eastern wing. Note that the bathroom and WC do not
have the light mesh for the hydronic heating pipes; this was
a communications error on my part, and was fixed when I noticed it.
The erroneous mesh layout is more obvious here, showing mostly the
bathroom and WC.
The grey and black bands around the pipes are the
kordon
termite barrier to block them entering the house via the outside of
the drain pipes. This will also be applied between the top edge
of the slab and the exterior brick wall for the same reason.
The drain from behind the back wall has been completed. There is an
access cover just beside the brick wall (the back of bedroom 2),
while the pipe on the right of the wall looks to be for the same
purpose - allowing the drain to be cleared should it block up.
Building A Home
Plumbing The Depths
Levelling Off