Higher, Stronger, Faster

The Summer Olympics started yesterday, and their motto could be applied to Monster Garage.  It certainly will be higher and stronger than other garages, but as for faster...hmm...we spent 12 hours doing rebar yesterday.  In 29 degree heat.  On a task that was only supposed to take a few hours and then we would head to the lake.

So on Friday, we had laid out all the pieces and got two thirds of it tied together.  That took six hours.  Then we called it a night, and Rob decided to put the tarp back on.  The forecast called for no rain,but he thought he'd put it on.  Good thing, because at midnight it rained solid for about half an hour.  And when we got up on Saturday, we saw this.    Like a reverse Cadbury bar or a fluffy pillow--170 individual pockets filled with rain water.  Rob took the pump and sucked out each and every pocket before we could remove the tarp.  That took an hour.   

Then it was time to tie all the remaining pieces together.  Then adjust the chairs (piece of brick holding the rebar up so the concrete can flow under them). 

Then we had to mark spaces on each outside board, install screws,and run string to make a grid (we ran out of string, so we raided my yarn stash!).  So within that grid, we drove stakes pre-adorned with tape.  Then we surveyed each stake.  Then we adjsutested each stake for height.  The stakes will mark the taper of the garage floor so the concrete guys know how much concrete to put down, and where.  And then, we made our own home conncotion (diesel fuel and oil) of form release liquid--like greasing a cake pan--so you apply this stuff to the sides of the forms so they release from the set concrete.

So at 9:00 p.m., we called it a night.  We delicately put the tarp back on, as now there are 50 stakes protruding and we don't want to rip the tarp.  They are calling for thundershowers tonight, so let's hope it holds.

By my calculations, we used about 140 pieces of rebar and tied over 500 joins.  We used two full rolls of rebar wire.  It is the Olympics of garage building!



This is a close up shot of the rebar on the decking of the new Circle Drive South Bridge.  Now that is rebar!