Finishing the Corner PierOpalyn updates the work on the Pearl's foundationSince my last update, we have been working to build three of the northern piers to their final height and excavating for the footings. The northeast pier has reached its final height but not without some challenges.
When the first cinders were placed they sunk into the concrete before it cured causing the pier to climb at an awkward angle. First, we considered using shims to bring the pier back to level, but they made the pier looked more lopsided, and it was no longer in line with the other piers.
Because this solution created more problems than it solved, we decided to dismantle the pier and build a form to pour a new level pad. With the new form in place, it was time to fire up the concrete mixer again. In the pic below, notice the waterline to the right - I'll talk more about this in a minute.
In the next pic, you can see us "milking" the concrete to submerge the rocks and create a smooth surface. Soon it was ready to receive two cinder blocks which we settled into the leveling pad and watched to ensure that they remained level as the concrete continued set.
With a new level surface to work with, Matt and I were able to quickly get the pier ready for more concrete quickly.
Two more mixes of concrete and the pier reached its final height. With one pier complete, its height determines the height of the entire structure.
In order to complete the other two in-progress piers we need to either raise or move the freezer trailer. While we work out the best way and direction to make the move, we will continue excavating the footings. Remember the waterline I mentioned - we need to move it since we'll be excavating the space under the freezer trailer, a process which would expose the existing water line. One solution is to dig it deeper, so that it passes under the footing and below the excavated space where the fish tanks will go. A second, less attractive, solution would be to reroute the water line around the Pearl but this would mean adding four 90° turns to the line--since this is our main north-south water line, we're reluctant to do anything that would restrict its flow. At this point, we're looking at just digging it deeper. |
