One Pull: "Left Bottom"

Greetings, and my apologies for having failed to post as promised on the weekend of 29th April. While it's been an extremely busy three weeks, the fact is it also made better sense to leave my post until the next phase of the build was completed in order to give you a decent picture of what has gone on.

But first, a huge thanks to all that responded to my bomb-burst email announcing the launch of my blog and its first two posts. I sent that email out to over 120 addressees, and that generated in excess of 65 email responses, all of which ranged from cries of "wow", curiosity, "when can we come and stay," or just general good wishes for this adventure.  I also got corrected by one reader when I had said Calgary was the capital of the province of Alberta.  Apologies to my Canadian readers, as I should know rather better after studying for and then doing my citizenship exam a few years ago, but it is Edmonton.  Somewhere up North, it's often -40C to -45C up there in winter, so I have no desire to go there, and as a result its easy to understand why I thought it was Calgary.

Many of those 65+ emails re-established communications with some who I had as good as lost contact with over the last three years while I was trying to find a direction in life after eventually deciding to step out of uniform for good.  I have endeavoured to deal with the mammoth task of replying to all, but where I have failed, please accept my apologies - I am sure you will appreciate trying to answer all while focusing on my build task is a huge and valid excuse.  For the future, unless its something detailed or private, might I ask you to be free with the comments option which I have now activated on this blog.

A few also asked if I'd join Facebook and post on that, but the answer is a definite no.  Some know I tried Facebook many years ago and within six months gave up on it for many reasons, not least the amount of trivia or the occasional expounding of extreme views that I don't like to see on so open a forum, even if happy to debate them over a number of drinks.  But the final straw came with (amusingly to some that know the full story) my being hunted down some 12 years later by a "Toronto Cougar" that I had desperately run away from one night while in the Chick N'Deli bar back in 2002, eventually crawling out of the men's washroom window, as every time I walked back into the bar she was blocking my way to the exit door.😅 After that experience emerging from my past, I took myself off Facebook.

Of all the replies, a guitar playing and vocal (in more ways than one) ex RN friend, who now lives down-under, said in his email "a bit naff perhaps ...but I can't get this old Val Doonican song out of my head now, for me it pretty well sums up your move...especially the second verse." My own rather eclectic musical repertoire certainly never stretched to Val Doonican, although I vaguely recall hearing him crone on my maternal grandmother's weekend BBC Radio 2  Tony Blackburn show, so I Googled the song, called "Ring of Bright Water" to check-out the second verses words:

"I wandered away from the dark crowded city, 

Leaving my old life behind, 

And I came to a place where a ring of bright water, 

Dazzled all cares from my mind". 

Totally apt, but do rest assured, I am certainly not taking up listening to Val Doonican - it doesn't fit the revised image of cowboy hat, boots, pony tail and obligatory over-sized truck I have adopted in the BC interior.

Others asked me what I was going to do on completion of this build, or things like wouldn't I then get bored?  The answer simply is no.  I expect to be occupied with the main build right through to late September or early October, hopefully getting my occupancy certificate at that stage.  That requires the house to have a functioning kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and all the safety features such as guard rails installed.  Then I will finish off the internal decor over the winter months.  Next year I will deal with the mammoth task of landscaping the plot. Thereafter I plan to spend a lot of time over the next many years canoeing, kayaking, walking, fishing, hunting, and also travelling in "the beast" to explore all of BC, up to Yukon and Alaska, and south along the west coast of USA.  If I can get the maths right on this project and keep myself mortgage free, I really have no desire to go back to work, at least not full time.  But that said, I keep my eyes open and network engaged in the hope of small 2-4 month contract consulting opportunities, and also intend to do a little AirBnB holiday letting of the downstairs suite as a means of supplementing my RN pension (currently dented by the ongoing Brexit divorce rows impact on exchange rates) and my minuscule RCN pension I get for that 2½ years in their uniform.   

So back to the build in hand.  I left you on my last post with the pictures a day before the long Easter weekend of the concrete footings completed and the Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) delivered and stacked on site for the forthcoming build of the garage and walk out daylight basement walls, plus the temporary wooden stays in which we would accurately set those forms, already nailed onto the concrete footings.

Work restarted on Tuesday 18th March with us giving "1 Pull" and "leaving bottom" (for the benefit of RN, RNO and RCN diving oppos). In the photo below you see the very first form (a "T" shape) put in place on the back wall, which will be well below grade (surface), at the junction between that back wall and the internal ICF wall that will separate the house from the garage. There was a suggestion from one of my contractors team that I should sign it for posterity, but as all that white polystyrene will later be covered, externally by further waterproofing and back fill at this below grade level, and internally by drywall, there really was not much point in getting that sentimental! The most observant of you who read the earlier detail on the construction of the footings will note that the form is placed over the vertical rebar that was put in place after the footings concrete pour, and that is tied by wire to the vertical rebar which protrudes from the concrete footings, itself which had a 90 degree bend and was tied to the footings horizontal rebar prior to the footings concrete pour.

While adding significant structural strength over a framed load bearing wall, a prime reason for my decision for that garage to house wall being ICF is for insulation between a heated space and what is, under building code, to be considered an unheated space, even if I do subsequently decide to put some background heating into my garage.

A couple of UK readers asked me in their emails to explain what this ICF is.  Historically basements of houses and small commercial buildings in Canada were built of stone blocks, and later as concrete blocks, both of which have many inherent long term integrity weaknesses, and then by concrete being poured in one go into wooden framed forms. The ICF system has really taken off  in the last 5-10 years, initially just for the basement structure, and now in the last 5 years increasingly as a system for the above grade (ground) walls.  The initial negative aspect to most people in using it above grade is they think it to be rather more expensive than a wood framed construction - wood being relatively cheap on this continent. Always the one to pick holes in arguments, I choose to do my own research of the facts and undertake a thorough cost benefit analysis while planning this build, and in my humble opinion now think the popular view is only partially informed. Why? Most people only see the initial up front cost of the ICF blocks, the rebar and the concrete, and the latter can be frightening on initial look. My own analysis indicated to me that the ICF system offered much greater structural strength, speed of assembly (reduces labour costs), and that it already incorporates a much higher insulation level than building code, plus the air and vapour membranes, all three of which are added in later in a wood framed building - and all three are never as guaranteed in their integrity in a wood frame construction.  Further, unless better wood framing systems are paid for, the insulation in particular suffers from thermal bridging problems, and most builders will only plan to meet building code minimum requirements for insulation in their costing unless you tell them you want to pay for more.  While Canadian requirements for insulation are now good, I wanted better as I look to the future.  I concluded that, despite the high cost of concrete, an ICF structure would work out cost comparable to a wood framed building, but offer much greater strength, thermal and sound insulation, and a complete air, moisture and bug barrier that is difficult to achieve in wood framing, and nigh on impossible in a log design that constantly expands and retracts with the seasonal extremes. At the end of the day, even if I am not entirely correct in terms of cost versus a wood framed structure, this building will be much stronger (more like a UK brick house), and I also know that the cost of my originally planned single main floor finished cedar log walls exceeded the total cost I now have for the footings, both the main floor and walkout basement walls, garage and basement slabs, and cedar siding.  Over the cost of the original planned logs it was a win-win, and will be much better insulated and sealed, and the siding will still make it look a stunning house.

There are a number of manufacturers of these ICF systems, and while I read into three of them, I ended up feeling that each contractors preference was about as subjective as most men's allegiance to a particular vehicle manufacturer.  Jason, the contractor I choose, uses the "Superform" brand.  How are they designed? The rigid expanded polystyrene (EPS) consists of two just under 3" thick panels, separated by a system of plastic ties. The EPS sides provide both the form for the retention of wet concrete and thermal insulation for the exterior and interior walls. The separation generally allows for 6½" of reinforced concrete fill (a taller building might require a 10" wide system), so with the EPS insulation you end up with a 12" insulated wall.  Each block is normally 1' high and 4' long (different shapes for corners) and has a system of interlocks for assembling, just like Lego!  The red plastic ties that you can see in  my photos within the blocks are slightly recessed to prevent thermal bridging between outside and inside, and work as a threefold system. First, they provide the “tie” member of the forms that holds the two panels of EPS the correct distance apart while the concrete is being poured. Second, they allow for proper placement of reinforcing bar by way of slotted pockets into which rebar is snapped. Third, the ‘T’ shaped portion at each end of the tie is the member to which the subsequent inside and outside wall finishes and heavy wall fittings, like kitchen cabinets, will be attached. Thus, the wall system accomplishes forming, framing and insulating in one step. 

The more old fashioned amongst you might think they are not exactly aesthetically pleasing, but rest assured, they will be later covered externally - below ground by further waterproofing systems, and above ground by cladding (my current plans are for cedar siding) and internally (current plans are for a combination of drywall and in some areas white-washed tongue and groove). These internal finishing materials have to comply with building code in terms of their flame spread rating for reasons of fire safety and evacuation .

Work progressed rapidly from Tuesday 18th March up to and including Monday 1st May (nine working days as one was lost due to heavy rain) and a 50% team over the last weekend adding in another equivalent of one full day, building all the walls, window and door bucks, scaffolding and bracing to hold the walls absolutely straight and upright (Jason's constant checking and re-checking of alignment was meticulous), plus part of the floor suspension systems that are integrated into the walls.  Concrete pour was booked for Tuesday 2nd May, so as is often heard on RN, RCN and RNO dive sites, "stop-watches are running."

In the picture below you can see the first course of ICF laid along the supporting front garage foundation wall. On this particular stretch my engineers rebar requirement, normally well above building code, actually aligns to code requirement of 15mm bar at 18" horizontal and vertical spacing.  Due to the fact the forms ties provide one horizontal placement height per 12" block, you can only realistically place either at 12" or every other block at 24" spacing, so we placed rebar horizontally at a stronger 12" spacing than the engineer required, and vertically at 18" spacing. (Please ignore the loose ICF block standing on the central column pad - the casual part-time photographer (me) failed to notice it - it's there ready for subsequent placement.)

At a later stage, this is the front top of the corner of the garage wall - note the rebar bent to fit the corner to provide sheer strength, and the doubling up of horizontal rebar (my contractor beats the engineer here as he works to his preference). You may also note the wedge shape of the form at the top of this wall. This is to allow the concrete to spread its load bearing area out from the normal 6½" width.

This picture shows the sill at the top of the garage foundation wall where my garage doors will ultimately be. Again, my ICF contractor beats the engineer here, as he prefers to double up the horizontal rebar requirement at the sill and along all wall tops.

In the picture below you can see the 15mm horizontal rebar in the rear wall spaced at each 12" level.  My engineer required a minimum of 18" but again the spacing is reduced, and therefore further strengthened due to the tie spacing in each 12" block ...

... and in the same wall looking along its length, the vertical rebar at my engineers specified 12" spacing for this back filled wall. (In the far distant side wall it increases to 18" as that wall does not have such a heavy back fill external loading as the land will be profiled in a accordance with the slope). You will also note a window buck for the rear left hand bedroom (if facing front to the lake ), various scaffolding and bracing going up, and the ICF buttress wall that runs along between the two en suite bathrooms (which my engineer added into the architects plans to provide an additional brace for my 71"8" long back wall as a supplement to the garage to house ICF dividing wall ).

This picture is the front wall where my engineer insisted on 6" vertical spacing of a 20mm bar and initially the same horizontally.  In email discussion while assembling this wall he approved a change to double horizontal at each 12" increment as opposed to his original 6" single spacing - as the Superform system doesn't readily accommodate horizontal at 6" spacing due to the Superform positioning of plastic ties.

Walls, door and windows bucks almost completely assembled, this is a view of the back wall of the house in the area that will be the mechanical room with an entrance from my garage.  You'll note the ducting in place for intake and exhaust for my boiler, heat recovery ventilator (HRV) (a code requirement in this climate so that during winter you can keep the airtight building ventilated but recover  70% of the heat that would otherwise be lost by opening windows in extreme cold), hydro electric power, and way down hidden at floor level below the frost line is the water intake (not on camera).

Here we are looking back along from the front of the house to garage dividing wall. The vertical rebar comes up just below the red plastic carriers, and subsequent to concrete pour the next floor level of vertical rebar will be wet dowelled in place before the concrete sets. At a later stage of build there will be a framed load bearing wall sitting on that concrete footing you can still see running from the back of the mechanical room to the front of the house, which will separate both the entrance foyer and the mechanical room from the main living space in the daylight walkout basement. You can also just see a window buck for the rear right hand bedroom (if facing the lake at front of house).  Noting this rear wall will have back fill to either 7' or 8' (I have yet still to decide but its engineered for 8') that window is sized in accordance with code requirement to allow egress from the bedroom in the event of fire, and will have a concrete external well to allow its use.   

Looking from the rear of the house along the butter wall into the house between the two en suite bathrooms, this is the best part of nearly 11 days work, with all the ICF forms and rebar, as well as window and door bucks in place, along with scaffolding and bracing to support the next days wet pour of concrete weight and to keep the walls absolutely horizontally and vertically straight.

Some of you may have noted, in spite of the relative distance from the camera lens, that there appears to be a series of bolts and nuts placed out along the near top of the walls. The two photos that follow give a close up.  In brief, this is putting in place a part of the floor support system prior to the concrete wall pour, where the floor system for the main house will later be secured to the concrete walls, as well as being further supported by built up columns in the two to be framed load bearing walls, a dropped beam and supporting post at the front of the walk out family room.  For the over garage open deck floor, support will be slightly different due to three of those walls going no higher (the fourth obviously does as its integral to the main house).  I intend to explain more about this in the next post, but at this stage you can see an example below of a ⅝" galvanised threaded steel rod inserted through the wall which will be held in place and load supported by the concrete.  These steel rods are normally inserted through the entire 6½" concrete wall, but in some areas are at an allowed reduced minimum 4" (dependent on the engineers specs for the floor design).  Enough to say here is that the concrete has a load bearing capacity of 3500 per square inch (PSI) and the steel rod in excess of 12,000 lbs each (sheer strength greater), and there are 65 of them around the main internal house wall. That is able to deal with far far more than the weight of the floor system and associated dead and live loads that are engineered into my plans for concrete toppings and the associated underfloor hydronic heating.

The next two pictures are looking from rear across the main house, and to the right across the garage on completion of work the day before the concrete pour.

Tuesday 2 May, exactly two weeks after the long Easter weekend and the day when we started to build the ICF walls, the grown up boys toys appear back on site.  One very expensive $300,000+ pump truck and successive concrete trucks loads bringing in a total of 42 Cubic Metres of concrete.

In a photo two above, Dano, the owner of the expensive concrete pump truck, is controlling boom extension, positioning and flow rate by use of a remote control pad strapped in front of him, and in this picture below, Jason is having his term on the vibrator that feeds down into the wet concrete to ensure the cement, aggregate, water and plasticisers all mix and spread correctly around the rebar and leave no spaces, while Todd has the concrete delivery hose in hand, Dylan is assisting Jason, and Donald is running around at ground level dealing with concrete as it pours out of the intended gaps at the bottom of the window bucks.

Six hours of non stop work and the concrete pour is finished.  Jason is seen here smooth trowelling the top of the garage rear wall where a sill plate will later be fixed and integrated into the overhead floor system. You may recall from my first post that above my garage I will have a deck (concrete topping) with an open overhead roof, so there are no walls to go above this level at the rear, far side and front of the garage, but there is another wall on the inside as part of the house.  Meanwhile, the rest of us were  running around on the scaffolding in the main house area, wet dowelling the next levels vertical rebar into all four walls before the concrete sets.

There then followed a day and a half of heavy labour on site, all hands in, including myself, clearing all the bracing, boxing and much of the scaffolding, etc, so we had the site cleared ready for delivery of the incoming materials I had ordered from Home Hardware for my two internal framed load bearing walls and the floor systems.  Site cleared, these next photos give a better feel for the build so far.

Start of four deliveries on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th May from Home Hardware, where I have established a contractors account and pricing due to the bulk of materials I am buying from them.  Here you see Jason is carefully easing a stack of floor joist systems through the space that will later be a sliding patio door, ...

... while on the other side, Don is controlling that load in so it doesn't hit the new wall. Some from my MCMV days might recognise the HIAB crane.  They seem to have a global monopoly, although I guess this one is not magnetically clean, and is also far more reliable - the commercial world seems to deal with reliability in their procurement rather better than any Navy!

Again, a couple of people have asked me in their emails what am I doing practically on site.  What, in addition to all the planning, negotiating and coordinating contractors to keep work flow going? Inevitably the latter three parts do involve a lot of work, and I do that general contracting role in order to save a lot of money, as well as the satisfaction of leading this project and seeing my home built to the best standard and the way I want it.  But it goes without saying, in spite of having found out last October of the new requirement for me to study the BC Building Code and take and pass an exam to be allowed to do this, I still rely very much on my contractors advice. I know enough to ask the right questions, work out if I am being "bullshitted" or being given good advice, and spot if something might be awry.  But the key is having chosen the right people not only to ensure their transparency on cash flow and reputation for quality, but also who I could work with and would get honest advice from, and how they as contractors would fit with each other as various parts of the project progress in tandem.  For example my framing contractor will increasingly have to work with my plumbing, heating and electrical contractors.  It goes without saying I don't have the skill set of people whose daily trade is building, nor have I ever been practically that motivated or patient, but I do have the eye for detail. But in spite of my traditional disinterest in practical work, when on site and not asking questions and thinking ahead, I offer myself up as a working grunt labourer, often to deal with the mundane so the others can get on with what they are best skilled to do. Rather more aerobically fit from my cycling and running than these guys (all smokers), this has rather proved physically tiring work that brings out all my aches and pains from previous muscle, ligament or tendon tears, and at the end of the day I am shattered.  There certainly won't be much time or energy left this year for my usual amount of cycling.  In terms of humour on the work site, this might be a different accent and working environment, but the ongoing banter reminds me of so many times in my previous naval career, be it on the bridge of a warship during a quiet passage watch, or on the dive site.  

One reader commented in his email about the stunning views but that it looks a "tad chilly." As I mentioned in my second post, this last winter had been unusually severe and extended, more like an Ottawa winter but without the winds, and we were breaking ground 3 weeks later than I had hoped, with snow on the ground still, and a snow squall one day.  The facts are here in this part of BC's interior, seasons change quickly (and unlike Ontario, you don't have 3 in one day), so after a wet few weeks with sporadic rain, this last week it has improved and was  regularly up to near 20's in the afternoon, and on Thursday we were breaking sweat while clearing the site at 24C, but it remained low 2 to 3 C at this altitude at night.  As I type over the weekend, we are experiencing heavy rain (but at least it's not the flooding 100 mm rainfall that friends back in Ontario and Quebec are getting) and the prognosis for the next week is very good, so that should keep the building team happy.

You'll note in my photographs the peaks in the distance are still heavily snow capped after the heavy winter, but the sudden warmth has started the snow pack melt up there, and I've noted a significant rise and flow in the Kootenay River below us in just two days, so that will soon rapidly contribute to water levels down at the Libby Dam in Montana, and the subsequent flooding up of Kootenay Lake up to our area.  As for the summer outlook,  I am hopeful as this part of BC is traditionally a dry semi arid climate in summer, with more days/hours sun than virtually anywhere else in Canada.  So for much of the summer I would expect day time temperatures between 26C and 36C, but a dry heat rather than Ontario's oppressive humidity, and nights at a mild 14C (no need for air conditioning).   Part of many attractions that drew me to this area.

I'll leave this post there.  I aim to publish again weekend of 20th May on the assumption that weather has allowed us to complete the next phases. i.e. building of the over garage and main house floor systems, and the preparation of the foundation walls (waterproofing, weeping or drain tile, etc, etc) for subsequent back filling. Until next time ...