Day 6 - Membrane and Lower Shelf Started

Day 6 and I've started the membrane and lower shelf.  You may have gathered this isn't actually day 6, more like Part 6.  Anyways, my son's birthday is coming up and we need to move boxes back downstairs.  Nothing like a deadline for motivation.

The plan is to cover the entire bedrock area with 2 large shelves.  We'll get a lot of storage and usable space.  Part of the lower shelf will also eventually be home for the washer and dryer.  Right now you have to walk up a hill to access the dryer, it'll be nice to get the dryer to a usable location.

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about the first three days of work (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Placing the Waterguard and dimpled membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump and taping the membrane
Day 5 - Pouring the concrete floor

Day 7 - Final shelf and panelling

Disclaimer

The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not a professional and this is total Do It Yourself (DIY) project.  Seek professional input prior to attempting this project.  It is NOT an easy project and requires a significant amount of work, knowledge and capability.  Make sure you fully understand all relevant design, structural, and geotechnical aspects, including the building code and applicable bylaws prior to starting.  Any doubts, hire someone qualified :)  We've had good success (so far), but that isn't a prediction of success at other sites.

I used a 6 mil polyethylene membrane, with the goal of reducing moisture coming from the bedrock encroachment in the basement.  The vapour barrier was tacked to the wall with acoustic sealant, then firmly attached with strapping.  I used the Ramset nailer again. 

The lower shelf will sit on a short wall.  I laid out pressure treatment 2x4's for the base plate to get the initial alignment as shown below.  I used PT since it's touching the bedrock floor and there may be some moisture seeping from the bedrock.

I used a laser level to shine a line across the bedrock to see what the lower shelf height would be.

 Here you can see a slightly better view.  The laser level was really handy to find the wall / shelf height.  Basically the shelf will be just a tiny bit higher than the highest point of the lower part of the bedrock.

With the wall height known, I rigged up small fence on my chop as seen below.  It lets me make fast repeatable cuts by just sliding the wood to the stop block and chopping.

A quick check was made before I went ahead and cut all the wall supports.

Once I had the wall supports, I  fastened them to the base plate PT 2x4's.

Flipped over the wall, and marveled at how fast this was going.  The base was secured to the bedrock floor using the ramset fasteners again.

I'm really starting to appreciate the speed of the concrete nail fasteners.  Here is a quick video of securing a support post under the frame, using the concrete nails / ramset and a palm nailer.



The lower shelf is 5' feet deep.  So, it'll hold a lot of stuff, the washing machine, driyr, and be the access for the upper shelf.  In order to stand us to the load, I built the shelf fairly strong, starting with a doubled up 2x4 beam at the top of the wall.   At this point it started to sink in I was using a lot of lumber for one little "shelf".  Thinking about it a bit more, then lower shelf is basically a large deck, 23' x 5' to be precise.

I used some temporary supports to keep the frame level and started adding the joists.  I got to use my palm nailer for the joist hangers so I was happy about that.  It's a fun tool I don't get to use too often.

Here is a photo of part of the lower level, with the membrane installed underneath as well.  To secure the membrane at the bottom, I tucked it in behind the waterguard drainage channel and held it in place with drainage stone.

Here is a photo showing supports under the span.  I put them there because this is where the washing machine will end up being, so I wanted to to be well supported.

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about the first three days of work (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Placing the Waterguard and dimpled membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump and taping the membrane
Day 5 - Pouring the concrete floor

Day 7 - Final shelf and panelling

Interior Weeping System: Day 5 - Pouring the concrete!

Day 5 was pouring the concrete trench.  It felt like a huge accomplishment once done, really felt like a huge step in the whole process.

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about the first three days of work (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Placing the Waterguard and dimpled membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump and taping the membrane
Day 6 - Membrane and lower shelf
Day 7 - Finishing the final shelf and wall

Disclaimer

The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not a professional and this is total Do It Yourself (DIY) project.  Seek professional input prior to attempting this project.  It is NOT an easy project and requires a significant amount of work, knowledge and capability.  Make sure you fully understand all relevant design, structural, and geotechnical aspects, including the building code and applicable bylaws prior to starting.  Any doubts, hire someone qualified :)  We've had good success (so far), but that isn't a prediction of success at other sites.

We poured 17 x 30 kg bags in 2 hours using a small electric mixer.  I had two friends help out, we worked with one guy doing the finishing, and two mixing.  Not much to discuss on this post, but a few photos to show the state of the project.

The small mixer we used.  We mixed 2 bags at a time, roughly 60 kg ready mix to 5 quarts of water.

We used two buckets, one to measure water which helpfully had measurement markings on the side, and one to move the concrete from the mixer to where it was needed.

All finished up.  Wow, does the walkway feel bigger now with the slope chipped away and the floor flattened out.

This part is all done.  Next is finishing the membrane, as well as converting the bedrock side of the house to built in storage and reorganizing the "laundry room.  The engineer part of me wants to get a totalizer flow meter on the discharge just to see how much water I pump, but that's only going to happen if I come across a cheap one.

Interior Weeping System: Day 3 - Laying Waterguard and Starting the Membrane

On Day 3 we placed the Waterguard, and started hanging the membrane.

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about days 1 and 2 (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!
Day 6 - Membrane and lower shelf
Day 7 - Final shelf and panelling

Now onto the days work!

Disclaimer

The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not a professional and this is total Do It Yourself (DIY) project.  Seek professional input prior to attempting this project.  It is NOT an easy project and requires a significant amount of work, knowledge and capability.  Make sure you fully understand all relevant design, structural, and geotechnical aspects, including the building code and applicable bylaws prior to starting.  Any doubts, hire someone qualified :)  We've had good success (so far), but that isn't a prediction of success at other sites.

Remember that weird looking pipe?

 It was 2" ID / 2.5" OD.  Seemed to large to be an old fuel oil pipe.  I suppose it was an old drain of some sort.  Here it is:

We lucked out and it was easily removed by hand.  Anyone know what it might have been?

Securing the sump
Next we secured the location of the sump.  To do this, we put a 1-2" layer of 3/4" clear stone on the bottom to level the sump, and poured 3/4" clear stone around the edges until the liner was secured.

Laying the Waterguard

 You need to leave around 2" above the Waterguard for concrete.  We eyed this with a level as shown on the next photo.

After that, it was a matter of placing, taping, measuring, cutting, and repeat.  It was quite straight forward. We had a few runs that were not quite straight between the jack posts, so I added some red Tuck tape to strengthen the joints in addition to the Waterguard tape.  This helped a lot as we moved the Waterguard here and there for alignment purposes.  The next photos show the Waterguard being laid out.

The corner above had to be made by hand.  I used an 10" chop saw which was able to cut through the water guard if you placed it just right.  For chop saw cuts that didn't quite cut the whole thing, a hack saw worked well.  You can also see one of the inspection / cleaning ports I added.

Passing by the main water service

The main water service entered the house around 2" below the floor height so the Waterguard couldn't be continuous.    We *carefully* chipped by hand the concrete below the water line, so water could pass, and put clear stone between the drainage channels.  Then we made a plastic form on top of channels to keep the concrete out when it was poured.  You can see the process here:

UK verses North America Pipe....  Doesn't match up

The Waterguard is manufactured in the UK.  One of the accessories is a "T" which connects a 65mm pipe from the drainage channel to the sump.  The 65mm pipe that comes with the accessory is quite short, and I needed a longer piece.  Unfortunately, UK pipes are not the same as North America; We checked Canadian Tire and Homedepot and neither had pipes that matched.  Ahh, the age old battle of Metric vs Imperial....  So, we used 2" ABS pipe, and a 2" coupler.  The OD of the coupler fit perfectly in the reducer which connects the pipe to the drainage channel, we took a few photos to show it.

After the Waterguard was laid out, we used granular to wedge it into place.  For approximately 32 metres and filling up half way around the sump liner, I used eight, 30 kg bags of 19mm clear stone. I'll need maybe 4 bags more, but at least two bags of those are for where I chipped a lots to eventually level the floor.  So, for my situation, looks like I will use around one 30 kg bag per 3 metres, or one 60 lbs bag per 10 feet.   The trench was 0.15 wide (5-6"), and we put around 1" of stone under the entire length of the Waterguard.

Installing the membrane

We moved quite quickly and I was very happy with the progress.  Only the third day of work, and we are on to the membrane!  A trip to Rona and I picked up Delta MS dimpled membrane, Delta fasteners, the Delta top strip and a single shot Ramset powder actuated concrete nail fastener system.

Using two people, we hung the membrane, and I learned how to use the Ramset gun.  The Ramset was fast and easy (and it what's recommended for the Delta membrane).  For my walls, the green power charge was the right strength.

Here's a tip, get the membrane installed before wedging in the Waterguard.  What a pain to pull back the flange to get the membrane behind.  If I did this again, I'd lay out the waterguard, install the membrane, THEN secure the Waterguard with clear stone.

One note, the Delta MS is listed by the manufacturer for exterior use only, but the specs of Delta MS and Delta FL seem to be identical.   I've read that the MS has recycled content in it and might have a plastic smell.  Mine certainty did not have any odours to it, also MS is 60% cheaper than FL.

A few photos.  The basement is much darker with the membrane up.  Even though the basement will never be a finished basement, it looks like we'll by installing dry wall anyways to lighten it up ( I couldn't find anything cheaper per square foot).

We just hung the membrane with a few fasteners (I only had 25).  Over the next few evenings, I'll install the top strip to finish the membrane,  top the trenches with clear stone where necessary and generally get it ready for concrete.  I think I'll need 20 to 25 bags of concrete, can't say I'm looking forward to this step.

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about days 1 and 2 (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!

Material Quantities To Date

• 0.15 x 0.15 x 32 metre perimeter trench -- 1,800 to 2,000 kg of soil/dirt/concrete removed
• 240 kg of 19mm clear stone (I'll need another 120 kg I think)
• (2) rolls of Delta MS

As always, more to come!

Interior Weeping System: Day 2 - Chipping Out The Perimeter Trenches

At long last, I've continued the basement project! Day 2 is chipping out the trenches.

You can read about chipping out the sump, or skip ahead to the next post on installing the Waterguard by using the links below.
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!
Day 6 - Membrane and lower shelf
Day 7 - Final shelf and panelling

Disclaimer

The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not a professional and this is total Do It Yourself (DIY) project.  Seek professional input prior to attempting this project.  It is NOT an easy project and requires a significant amount of work, knowledge and capability.  Make sure you fully understand all relevant design, structural, and geotechnical aspects, including the building code and applicable bylaws prior to starting.  Any doubts, hire someone qualified :)  We've had good success (so far), but that isn't a prediction of success at other sites.

On to Day 2!

It was a straight forward job and not at all complicated. A few interesting spots like the where water service comes in of course, or spots where I was a tad worried about the shoring jacks and how close my trench get  to the supports of my house... A few pictures, here we go.

Step 1 - Laying out the trench:

Around 3 of the 4 walls, the trench was flush to the wall, so we didn't really need to any layout.  At the bedrock portion, I first laid out a baseline perpendicular to the bedrock at a convenient place (the leftmost line).  Then the trench was easilymeasured from the baseline.  If you look, you'll see the trench will go between the two jack posts.  I was worried about the possibility of the jack post shifting or the weathered rock around the post failing.  Step two was adding a temporary support just in case

Step 2 - Adding a temporary wood post beside a jack post

The wood post on the left was added just in the the shoring jack moved due to the trench close by.  In the end I didn't need to worry about it, the rock was quite competent there.

Step 3 -Chipping and more chipping

This was a little tricky, getting behind the hot water tank.

The trench doesn't need to be this wide, I took this opportunity to remove high spots on the floor.  I'll re-pour this section for a nice flat floor.

All cleaned up.  It will be a nice flat floor once I'm done.

Here was another spot I was going to remove to flatten the floor.  Also, from  breaker to about 2 feet to the right, that rock had to be chipped.  The small little breaker wasn't really up to the task.  I felt we would make more progress with a big breaker, so at this point, I ran out to rent a bigger one.

 ahh, yes, the 60 lbs breaker was much better for that section (and others).  Our final setup was me using the large breaker with a 1" chisel tip, and my father in law using the 25 lbs breaker with a 3" chisel tip.  Using the 3" tip to follow behind the brute force 60 lbs breaker to clean up the chipped trench, worked really well.

For my floor, which was 1 to 3 inches of concrete, followed by slightly to highly weathered shaly limestone bedrock, I think having the large breaker made a big difference.  We definitely could have got it done with only the smaller one, but it might have been more than one day.  We chipped using both breakers from 8:00AM to 1:30PM or so.

Almost done removing rock at this part.

Another tricky (and scary) section at the sanitary line and water service.  We didn't, but a more prudent person would have located the main shutoff outside first....

Step 4 - Clean up
I tested the sump liner in the hole I chipped previously (link here, will open in new window). Thankfully it fit and no more chipping needed!

Test fitting the water guard, it looks great!

And here is what ended up in the dumpster.  The perspective is a bit off, I think we filled this 5 metric tonne dumpster just less than half way  So, I guess we got about  2 metric tonnes worth, lets say 1,800 to 2,000 kg.  It was a mix of concrete rock and highly weathered rock (pretty much soil at that point).

Another view of our day.

Next Steps
The next day will be getting 19mm clear stone and layout out the water guard.  I'll need to start thinking about the membrane for the walls now too.

You can read about chipping out the sump, or read the next post on installing the waterguard by using
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!

More to come!