Professionals in the Construction Industry Network

Now it is time to take the next step in the construction process. The surveyor has done his work and every construction element in his scope has been located and identified. Now it is time for the concrete contractor to begin his work.

His first task  is to trench the continuous footing and to dig any pad footings that may be part of the foundation of this particular structure.

His next task is to place batter boards at the edge of the building slab. He must make sure that the top of the form boards are level with the finish floor elevation.

When the plumbing and electrical contractors have finished their underground work, the concrete contractor must first pour the pad footings and the continuous footings if that is part of the design criteria. Next he must follow the plans and specifications with regards to the sub-base preparation before the slab can be poured. Under normal circumstances the sub-base is placed per the requirements specified by the soils engineer. The requirements can vary from project to project and from building type to building type. For this particular project a bed of aggregate base was placed on the finish pad, then a 15 mil vapor barrier was laid over the base. Finally, a 2″ bed of clean sand was placed on the vapor barrier.

When the assembly is ready, the slab is poured. During the time that the slab is “green” or fresh, the contractor is required to place on the slab a sealer to prevent the intrusion of moisture. The sealer is a proprietary product that this office has found to significantly reduce moisture transmission.

After a few days the form work can be removed. Under most cases, the form work is reused by the contractor.

The concrete contractor. His work may or may not be seen, but he is still one of the unsung heroes of this construction project.

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