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Ranch House Construction Update (rebar)

The forms were oiled before the rebar installation.  Then the slab areas were graded and 35 tons of clean sand was laid and compacted before 15 mil Stegowrap was installed.

All the seams of the vapor barrier sheets had a minimum 3 feet overlap and taped, and all the penetrations were cut out / patched & taped before mastic was applied.

For termite prevention, we installed a product at slab penetrations called “Termistop,” which is stainless steel mesh with a stainless steel collar.  They were installed

at the middle of the slab depth, so that termites cannot go through passages at penetrations even the concrete cracks there.

(2) #5 rebars were placed top & bottom at footing.  All the anchor bolts were set.

 

3 rebars were installed at 18″ o.c. spacing each way and dobie blocks were placed to hold the rebars in place.


Ranch House Construction Update (rough plumbing)

The plumbing rough-in was not easy task.  Due to the space constraints, there were some areas that could not be dug with an excavator.  Sometimes you can use trench plates, but we decided to dig the trench with a jackhammer.

 

Schedule 40 ABS pipes are more common in California over PVC.  They are more resistant to UV rays, and are relatively inexpensive.

 

 

Every plumbing trap needs a vent.  Sometimes you can share a vent if they are close enough.


Ranch House Construction Update (formwork)

The concrete forms were set.  Forms need to be oiled before the rebar installation.   The trench was cleared & tampered and any organic matters were removed.

 

The form work was completed and now we are on to plumbing rough-in.