This is the third post in our series on building a well house.
Please refer to the previous posts to see how we got to this point:
Above, the last of the blocks are stacked without mortar
and the bond beam is formed up and ready to pour.
The white plastic pipe is solely to create a void for a wall hydrant or spigot,
and is removed after the pour.
At the end of the last post
we had just applied the emulsified asphalt to the areas below grade,
and now the insulation has been added and we finally have everything filled in up to grade,
making for a nice work space on this section of wall above.
It sure is nice to have built into the bank
as it gives an elevated plat form to work from
making it much easier to lift block and concrete on the backside ( south side ).
The rebar is tied off, the forms are leveled and squared,...
...and we are ready to mix up some concrete.
The forms (above) have been used for a total of 3 pours now
( the footer, the mid level bond beam, and now the top bond beam).
Please refer to the previous posts for more on the forms and how we mixed the concrete,
and just like last time we filled the cores of the block almost up to the level of the forms,
and then filled up the forms.
The concrete has set and the forms have been taken off,
and we can breathe a sigh of relief that this grueling part of the job is done.
The anchor bolts were set as we poured and I got the longest ones we could (5/8" x 12")
so that I could frame up a short wall beneath the top plate to get a little more height.
The small hole in the wall above is for a wall faucet as noted above,
and I used a pipe to keep the concrete out as we poured,
which then slid out after the concrete set,
much as you saw in the previous post for the receptacle.
One thing about masonry or adobe walls is that the higher you go
the work load increases exponentially because the weight of the materials
comes into conflict with gravity, especially with just two of us are working.
The day after the pour we went ahead
and applied the last of the surface bonding cement.
The surface bonding cement will ultimately be covered
with 2"of XPS foam board insulation board
and then covered with a cement stucco finish.
In the next post we will start framing the ceiling and the dutch hip roof.
Here are links to the whole series up to this point:
