Something is taking root in the barnyard - and it is done!

[Donegal Cub]

Hi Bill,
Will you be putting in hardcore under the concrete?? I see you got the trusses and the roof done. Looking great.
Bernard,
Donegal Cub.

[ricky racer]

You're going to love the extra room, nice floor, good lighting, accessible electrical outlets and the list goes on!! I'm envious.

[Don McCombs]

Hi Bill,
Will you be putting in hardcore under the concrete?? I see you got the trusses and the roof done. Looking great.
Bernard,
Donegal Cub.

What is "hardcore", Bernard?

[Barnyard]

Hi Bill,
Will you be putting in hardcore under the concrete?? I see you got the trusses and the roof done. Looking great.
Bernard,
Donegal Cub.

What is "hardcore", Bernard?

Yes, I am wondering also. By the way, the roof and trusses are still on the ground until Wednesday due to weather.

[danovercash]

Hardcore might be like ABC gravel or crusher run? Bill did you consider ground insulation and heating pipes in the concrete. Toasty warm cub cave. At least in shop area.

[Mr E]

Is there any information on what materials are suitable for use as Hardcore?

Answer

The principal uses of hardcore are as a make-up material to provide a level base on which to cast a ground floor slab, to raise levels and to provide a firm base to carry construction traffic. A variety of graded materials can be used and ideally they should be granular and consolidate readily. Gravel and crushed hard rock including quarry waste, generally give good service though waste from gypsum mines should not be used; it frequently contains a mixture of limestone and gypsum which can attack concrete to form the mineral thaumasite. Concrete rubble, if clean and graded is a good hardcore material but if it contains lumps of gypsum plaster there may be a risk of sulfate attack.

Brick and broken tile is useful but unless the bricks are soft there may be a lack of fine material and therefore difficult to compact. Dry rot spores may be present in pieces of timber included in hardcore from demolished buildings and there is a risk of an outbreak occurring. Other less widely used materials include blastfurnace slag, colliery spoil, oil shale residue and pulverized-fuel ash.

From "The Concrete Society"

[danovercash]

Blast furnace slag, I think that's what we have a available here. Nucor (Florida Steel) sells it for about 4 dollars a ton. Must have tandem dump to purchase/haul. Delivered about 40 dollars per ton. Looks good, packs well. Any reason not to use on residential driveway? My favorite sandblaster/powdercoater has some at his shop.

[Barnyard]

My concrete guy said he may use some blacktop milling for a base under the concrete along with gravel. We have to see what we need once we grade around the left side of the building. That is somewhat high there so some of it will be used as fill.

[Stanton]

Forgot to ask: Are you acting as general contractor on this fine project, or is that being handled by a building contractor?

[Barnyard]

Forgot to ask: Are you acting as general contractor on this fine project, or is that being handled by a building contractor?

Stanton, I hired a contractor to build the building and a contractor/friend of mine to do the dirt work and floor. I am letting them build it to code.

[Barnyard]

I offered my hi-lift to them for this today, but they declined. After watching them a few minutes I relized they went up, drilled their holes and moved to the next post pretty quick. They had one side done faster than I could set the lift up.



The trusses were supposed to go up today, but the weather slowed them down a day. The boom truck owner was already booked for tomorrow so the trusses will now go up on Thursday.

[Stanton]

Double truss headers! I like it, but you're gonna love it!

[Donegal Cub]

Bill,
Nothing I can add to the correct answers you got from the knowledgeable forum readers re the hardcore.It would be normal around here to take off 6 inches of topsoil and compact / vibrate the hardcore and then lay a membrane on it before putting down another 6 inches of concrete. Putting in a concrete floor in residential buildings require further insulation and a radon gas membrane. But these extra requirements would not apply to outbuildings. Re the trusses I thought I saw a pic of the barn with the roof on it. Hope you do not get too much of that snowstorm, I've been following the snowstorm news on Irish telly.
Bernard,
Donegal Cub.

[Barnyard]

Re the trusses I thought I saw a pic of the barn with the roof on it.

You did see a pic like that. Someone posted that pic to show what they were planning to build.

I had to remove six to eight inches of topsoil. The contractor will do the rest of the excavating and fill as needed. He had said something about adding some gravel also as needed. He knows his job better than I do so I will take his word for it.

[Thackery]

Looks great Bill, I bet you are really excited.
I can't wait to see it this spring.

Glad you avoided my traditional camping spot.

Keep us updated with plenty of pictures.

Thackery