Modern Farmhouse Foundation Pouring

Thanks for visiting our Modern farmhouse foundation pouring.  Foundation pours are always exciting, but we did not expect a near disaster!  All started out great – the day was cool and sunny with a beautiful sunrise.   Jim and Matt were on hand at 6:00 am with coffee and breakfast tacos. Nine concrete trucks were scheduled for a well timed delivery.

Then the pump boom truck arrived.  The pump is needed to get the concrete out of the delivery trucks and onto the slab.  This was a huge heavy beast of a truck.

After experience years of prolonged drought, Austin was hit by an El Nino rain cycle that drenched the area and replenished our lakes.  The rain delayed our concrete pour, but we were able to schedule the concrete trucks during a brief window of clear skies.

But there is a little wet weather stream that runs across the front of the lot, and ground water flows steadily for days after heavy rains.  Later, when the driveway is done, there will be a culvert under it so water can pass.  We had a temporary metal culvert to get us through construction.

The pump truck crushed the metal culvert and gouged ruts into the dirt.  Now the steady trickle of water ran pooled into the dirt and created a muddy ditch.

The first concrete truck backed onto the lot, and began to spin tires in the now very muddy area.  The truck was barely able to back up to the pump.

Everyone rushed to wheel barrow dirt over to the muddy area.  But the stream of water kept trickling, and made more mud.  The next four trucks sank into the mud and spun tires.  We held our breath as they barely made it across to the pump truck.

The sixth truck just spun wheels and could not make it across.  Mud was all over the street and the road edge was getting torn up.  An hour was spent working on adding dirt and old lumber into the ditch area.  It did not help.

Four trucks were now standing by to pour concrete.  Concrete trucks can only wait about 2 hours before they have to be sent back.  Finally, the pump truck driver said, “Go to McCoys for some lime.”

Matt rushed to McCoys.  He paid for bags of lime, but when he went to the pick-up yard, they were all out.  He said it felt like a slow motion nightmare.  Finally Matt returned from Lowes with eight 50 lb bags of lime.  The foundation crew spread it over the driveway to absorb water.  

While this was going on, Matt shoveled dirt to dam up the water and not allow it to cross the driveway.  A pond formed, and Matt bucketed out the water.  Then Jim went to a neighbor and borrowed a hose to set up a siphon.  The siphon emptied the water across the street.  This was the critical move that diverted the water and saved our pour.

With the water diverted by the siphon, the guys were able to pile up dry dirt and lime, plus some old 2 x 10 lumber was tossed on.  The concrete trucks got enough traction to back in.  The waiting trucks delivered their loads.  Then two more were ordered, for a total of 11 trucks.

Thanks for visiting our modern farmhouse foundation pouring.  This was not pretty, but we’ll take it!

This is our modern farmhouse design build project.  Our projects are just a hobby.  We enjoy sharing ideas with our clients on their house remodels.   We’re full time Realtors with over 30 years experience in Austin real estate.   If you need somebody, and not just anybody, to help you find a home or get your home sold, we’d love to hear from you!