Got Forms?

Well, it's really starting to look like something! With a ton of help from my brother-in-law, dad and grandpa, we got almost all of the forms built and set this weekend!

My grandpa had gotten a bunch of pre-built forms that were used for a housing development in Saratoga. Since we had to dig so deep for our foundation, these forms weren't tall enough to use by themselves; we needed to build additional forms to add on top of them. Friday evening my brother-in-law and I got most of these additional forms built.

On Saturday we started setting the forms. It took us a little while to figure out the best way of getting them staked in and lined up since they were so big. (After having to dig so deep the walls of the foundation are over 3 feet tall.) But we got into a rhythm - set the form in place, dig out any area of the trench that is in the way, line up and drive the stakes, attach the forms to the stakes a little high, pound them down to the string line, attach the form to the previous one, brace it and move on to the next form.

It went like this pretty smoothly for most of the day. We finished the forms on the side of the house and got half way done on the back of the house. My goal this week is to finish up the forms, get the steel rebar set in place, get an inspection and hopefully be pouring concrete by the weekend.