A couple days after my guys finished digging the perimeter of the arena, our son was back on the job. This time with his concrete work crew, for the arena footings and walls.
Nothing makes a mom happier than seeing her son a few extra days a week! Didn't you know last week was take your mom (and dad) to work day? Haaa, just kidding!
Our arena site is wedged between two tree lines, and as they frequently do building sites require some troubleshooting. Huge pieces of equipment have to be able to reach all corners of the building in tight proximity. Add snow on top of ice and they ran into a few common snags. With a few adjustments, everything got figured out and done:
arena footing are set
spraying the panels so cement doesn't stick
back of barn (iphone wide angle)
big trucks a-waiting
red cement truck, belt truck (with yellow)
and our son's work truck & equipment trailer
The previous day, Brad had plowed the field next to the build site for easier access. There was a second cement truck in the field waiting their turn. Trucks had to be moved once done, and the pouring approach fine tuned etc. I didn't want to miss anything, so I waited. Not so patiently. Walking back and forth, in/out of the barn, trying to stay warm. I got a little distracted...
icicles hanging off the barn, dripping
(click to see drops)
I hoped the icy daggers would not fall on my head
icicles are so cool and fleeting
they came crashing down about 15 minutes later
(not on my head)
the two white Belt Truck anchor arms swing out
they need to be on the ground to steady the truck while pouring
good thing we still had our son's pole saw
he had to trim back more large branches
The Belt Truck is a game changer
hard to reach places used to be all manual pours
let the pouring begin
I was sooo close, I had to step way back.
Look at the steam!
one guy guides the cement pouring out
one guy swishes it around with a poundy stick tool (technical terms)
my son (in yellow) is leveling
this guy is finishing
no escaping the camera, sorry not sorry
pouring goes fast
at least when you are watching
the addition guy standing in brighter yellow
is running the belt truck from a fancy remote belted to his waist
pouring the other side of the arena
(I could not see the connecting end well enough to take pics)
the home stretch
7 comments:
oh yay! Glad you got that done- who'da thunk you'd be pouring cement in the middle of February!
Once that sets they will have the walls and trusses up in no time!
Oh but there is more, and the weather gets worse. I should have done a two-part post, or cemented it all into one (hardy har har) but my posts seem to get so long...part two coming soon.
I loved clicking through the photos! Duh I know how to do that but didn't think of it.
Nice work by everyone.
Are you going to be able to walk from the barn directly into the arena then? That would be awesome.
Moving right along! I didn’t actually know you could pour concrete in this cold weather. Glad you didn’t get an icicle spike through the noggin!
Things are going so fast!! I see why you like doing projects now—you get to see your son more!! That’s so cool. I didn’t know you could pour concrete in freezing temperatures either.
Val, yes the barn and arena will be connected. We can go to/from through the existing sliding door.
Looks like a good crew! Yeah for footings! You will have an arena before long!
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