Plasma cutting steel staircase Tung oil applied on trim woodwwork Floors milled from site grown trees Septic field restoration Reflecting afternoon sun Birth of a barn on Bragg Hill Radiant floors Solar panel installation Capping off the chimney Proud shape emerges on the hilltop Pumping concrete into the three gables Forming 12x12 Gables Delivering concrete from the sky Parallam beam positioning Flying flitch beam ICF window framing Precision concrete placement Lower level ICF fabrication Newly excavated driveway Finishing garage deck concrete Pouring concrete footers Rebar safety caps Surveying the construction site Checking out the excavation equipment Rapid soil stabilization Testing the soils for drainage Taking Solar Pathfinder measurements Milling downed trees onsite View to the Southeast over the Benzel Family Trust Future meadow to be cultivated Taking a stroll on Bragg Hill Road

Second Level Concrete Pour Complete

click image to enlarge
click image to enlarge

Keeping to an aggressive construction schedule, the third major concrete pour was completed today.  44 cubic yards of concrete was required to fill the voids within the Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) that formed the second and main level of 60 Bragg Hill.  Fabricating the forms (concrete molds) for the second level was the most complex of the entire project.  Due to the enormous steel window wall, large garage and front door openings and a plethora of giant window frames, the construction required intense engineering, creativity and on site ingenuity.  The time consuming hard work is in the preparation of the Flexx Block foam forms and managing the integrity of all the various openings.  Once the forms are in place they are secured with temporary jacks, braces and other flying buttresses. That done, the concrete pour was straightforward.  It took about two hours.  The web of temporary support braces were removed the next day.

Top image: Mike Thompson is examining the fresh concrete within the ICFs assuring that the walls are straight and true. 

Bottom image:  Architect Matthew Moger is surveying the completion of the second level concrete pour.  Note the large window openings that require temporary bracing to secure their shape during the concrete pour.