Concrete time!

I've got all the plumbing complete, plus an electrical run out to where the island is going to be.  I back filled the trench and have everything tamped down.  The plumbing has been pressure tested too and am confident there are no leaks.

 

I am not sure if I really needed to do this out not, but usual TJ fashion, I want make sure everything is extra strong, so in order to make sure the new poured concrete doesn't heave or settle, I drilled half inch holes in the side the trench and epoxied rebar into the holes.  That should hold it! (Concrete doesn't necessarily stick together unless you use a bonding agent or pin it like I did).

  

Now the fun begins!!!  10 bags of 80 lb concrete / mixed in the wheel barrow.

I used a straight finishing trowel for the finish.

More plumbing - Waste Line

Plumbing has never been my favorite thing to do. However, this project is really interesting to me and I am having a good time with it.

Below, I ran the 2" waste line (schedule 40 PVC) to a connector down in the bathroom part of the basement.  This connects in with the toilet and the sink waste line.  You need to make sure the pitch of the waste line is such that the liquid flows down-hill.  I've found that a half-bubble on the level is adequate.  This translates to at least 1/4" of pitch per foot - the minimum required for waste line pitch. I also know that some people don't believe in using "purple primer" when fastening their PVC pipe.  This is a huge mistake as the primer along with the glue makes that joint more solid than the pipe itself.  I've had non-primered pipe come disconnected when there was some stress put on the joint. 

This is the toilet receptacle.  This dude needs to be moved over 26 inches and angled out about 3 inches.  Fancy use of  a 22.5 bend and a 90 degree elbow made it perfect.

 

Plumbing

Well, its time to pull up some of the floor.  We want to have an island in our basement that will contain our sink and a dish washer.  In order to make that happen, I will need to trench a line from island area to where i will able to get the plumbing connected.  Additionally, I'll be building a bathroom and will need to place a toilet and a sink.

You don't see too many islands in basement, and this is why. It's a mess, but otherwise it's not really a big deal.  I borrowed a concrete cutting machine and a Jack hammer.  Fun tools indeed!

The messiest part was the cut.  We had to use the garden hose to keep the cutter wet to keep the dust down.  In the end, it was still a soupy mess... 

Now it's time to rock! The electric Makita jack hammer worked great and it only took me an hour to get 'er done!

About 23 linear feet jacked. The slab was about 4 inches thick.

I'll be cleaning out the trench tomorrow - digging down about 8 inches.  I'll be running hot, cold, sewer, and an electrical line.

Heating and ventilation

Like I said before, ventilation is something that a lot of people don't think about.  Not only having the supply but, more importantly the returns installed properly is key to having a basement that isn't humid or cooler than the rest of the house.

This will be an air supply for the main area that will vent through a soffit.

As you will see, in the last picture, I had to do some pretty fancy stuff since I wanted to install underfloor heating in my kitchen in the space above.  A return vent that went over to the east side of the building was obstructing the spot where I needed to put an underfloor heating element. Making quick use of some 12 x 3 duct-work and an adapter, I was able to make it all work perfect.

The new return airduct on the right side of this picture is taped up for a reason.  I dont want to get smoke and dust in the air system while I am working in the basement.   Smoke you say? Yes... See next post...