When I built my custom house in Beverly Hills, most of the house was on a raised foundation. Because we were on an engineered hillside, we had to sink twelve one-foot in diameter pylons along with a considerable amount of steel and rebar to secure the foundation and avoid slippage. That one change put me over budget in the first month. It was quite expensive. I was also really happy though when we had the 1994 Northridge Quake and my house stayed put. A mile from us, several houses slipped down the hill and killed three people.
There are lots of ways to secure a foundation. There's no guarantee by the way, that the foundation is stable just because it's on a flat lot. I can't tell you how many times we discovered serious slippage, water, and erosion problems on properties that had a flat lot. It's usually a good idea to order a geological inspection, especially if you're in a state where there are expansive soils, clay, or earthquakes.
This week, both House 1 and House 2 had sand bags lined up against the forms. On Thursday, what looked to be a 60 foot craned pulled up. I was surprised to discover that the crane was actually the mechanism for pouring the cement. They did the "first pour" on Thursday. As you can see from the pictures, the sand bags are still visible. The first pour anchors the bottom of the foundation.
You can also see all the sand. On Friday, they brought in a truck load of large white pipes. These will carry the electrical and also serve as pipes for the plumbing system. On House 1, they have begun trenching out the sand and installing the pipes. You can see this in the picture. Once the pipes are in and they complete the second pouring of the concrete, they should be ready to pour the slab.
If the contractor misses on the location for a conduit or other outlet and they pour the slab, you're essentially stuck. It would be extremely difficutl and expensive to cut through the entire foundation and then have to pour it over again. As the owner, it's really hard to decide where the outlets should be (especially the ones in the floor for offices and living areas.) You can make a best guess, but you won't really know until you are well into the building process whether you got it right.
Posted by Bernice Ross
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