Foundation notes.... Darn Backhoe!`

Folks -

Hardly made it off of the launching pad today. Wife and I checked the layout cord for square, and determined that it was out about 3/4 of an inch.... Don't know if this really is critical for the trenching. The form boards will need to be accurate and square, of course.... But should I foodle with the layout for the trenching?

The bad news... Backhoe was to show up between 9 and 10 this morning.... The fellow shows up at 10:30, saying he had to go to the hospital, had an appt, etc.... and that he would be out on Wednesday.... rrrrrr..... gave me blueballs the rest of the darn day....

Anyway, that's what passes for today's progress... I hope he's here early on tomorrow and gets crackin'!

John Moorhead

If the soil will take it I can introduce you to two guys who can do it.

Tim Douglass

The backhoe operator won't be able to hold 3/4" accuracy, unless he's a WHOLE lot better with a hoe than I am. Then again, that might not be saying much. Depth is more important so the bottom of the trench is in the right place.

That'll happen. That's also the reason that (A) I did nearly all the work building my house (foundation, forms, every board, every nail, etc), and (B) why I now have my own backhoe as well.

Hang in there, self-contracting any big project is an exercise in frustration. Easier to do the work yourself wherever possible, IMHO.

Good luck & keep us posted, Dave Hinz

Tue, Jul 27, 2004, 11:37pm (EDT+4) snipped-for-privacy@splinter.sbcglobal.net (John=A0Moorhead) questions: Wife and I checked the layout cord for square, and determined that it was out about 3/4 of an inch.... Don't know if this really is critical for the trenching.

Yep. Extremely critical, better fix that immediately. That 3/4" could well be the difference between success and disaster. Remember, a backhoe is an even more precise a tool then a chainsaw, which is precise indeed. Scroll down.

ROTFLMAO

JOAT Expensive tennis shoes won't cure a sore toe.

- Bazooka Joe JERUSALEM RIDGE

no.

Plenty of backhoe operators can do that. I've shot grade for both hoe and bulldozer operators and it's common on the construction site for the hoe operator to stay within 3/4". But... then again, that's all they do all day.

He said it was his layout cord that was out of square by about 3/4, not the backhoe operator's work.

It's a hole. The slab is determined by the forms, not the backhoe work.

If you think woodworking is imprecise compared to metal working, then you ain't seen nothin' when it comes to allowable tolerances in dirt work!

Kevin

Ain't that the truth! Here in AZ, I've seen the top footing grade marked in the trench with nails and spray paint and the footing poured and graded with no forms at all! Requires a nice stiff dirt like the kaliche(sp?) found here in the desert.

-Doug

Right, but I think Elwood's point was that there's no point worrying about a 3/4" layout error when a backhoe's accuracy will be far worse.