This week, the Hudson bloggers get into the nitty-gritty of foundation work and the pouring of concrete.
We’d like to thank the President-elect for offering us a position in his cabinet, but respectfully decline. It simply would not be possible to maintain close watch over Third + Bond while running the nation, or really the world, from Washington, D.C. Besides, the vetting process would be far too brutal. (“You got how many Stop Work Orders, Nominee?!”)
And with the rapidly accelerating construction at Third + Bond, a close watch is needed. As seen in the photograph above, we are setting up formwork to begin pouring concrete for grade beams—the base of the foundation. We are backfilling between the grade beams with gravel, as noted in Week 61, as insurance against groundwater issues. Another design intervention is the use of ejector pumps, the formwork for the ejector pits can be seen coming together in the picture below. The purpose of the ejector pumps is to pump out any water that gets too close to the foundation. We absolutely will not put up with damp living spaces and are willing to pay more now even if it turns out later that the ejectors are never activated. (“Is it true, Nominee, that you spent additional funds on the foundation beyond that which was originally budgeted?!”)
Those of you familiar with the pouring of concrete might be surprised that our formwork for the grade beams is a steel lattice rather than the more commonplace plywood (as seen for the ejector pit)....
