It's a matter of checking the weather forecast for our area on a daily base and checking the strength of the main dirt road to our site and at the land.
The strip-foundation (40 m2, 20 cm thick) needed nearly 8 m3 concrete (all together around 20.000 kg). Reason we discussed with the concrete firm to deliver with 3 instead of 2 trucks (3, 3 and 1.9 m3). Safety first. Afterwards it worked out to be the right decision.
Yesterday evening I checked with the laser again the formwork planks to be 'spirit level'. Had to do some repairs after the strong and heavy rains of the last weeks again.
Tonight the forecast is we get heavy thunderstorms again. So, again all good things come in threes) I decided to pour concrete today. Phatsamon was not really happy with it and worrying a lot about the strength of the dirt road and the land.
We are waiting now for over three weeks for pouring concrete and other orders (like hollow core slabs prestressed floor elements and wall blocks, are waiting to be delivered.
There is also an 'emotional' aspect. We/I wanted to start with the main house in November this year. A lot of unexpected things that brought a delay (the extreme wet weather, the French drains that needed to be installed as we discovered during the excavator work, etc.)
We ordered an exceptional strong quality of concrete (nr. 8 out of 11 classes with 375 kg cement per cubic meter). Even the concrete factory asked us what we wanted to build ;). It's 'Russian attack proof' and actually used for high rising buildings here in Thailand but, only for a little bit more money, I wanted to use this quality. It worked out in a couple of hours it was already very strong (so called 'Green strength' and I showed Phatsamon this evening it's also very warm, nearly hot, because of the chemical process going on.
We ordered the trucks at 1 PM, 2 PM and 3 PM.. The company was amazed by that because we only worked the two of us. The first truck arrived on time. The second took a half hour longer (happy to have a short break working at a temperature of 35 degrees C in the shadow (what about climate change?), and we had to work in full sun.
The concrete vibrator helped a lot to take air out of the concrete and make it stronger. Phatsamon was again of great help and did a good job.
The first truck (nr. 63) driver was the same we met during pouring concrete for the workplace/storage. Very calm, listening, an good experience. It worked out the road and our site were strong enough to carry the weight of 7.5 tons of concrete and the weight of the truck.
The second truck (nr. 60) driver we met around one year ago. Also a good experience although he arrived a bit too late (The first pouring already started to dry) but we managed.
The third truck (nr. 58) arrived around 4.30 PM so very late and... got stuck in the land at our site.
A bad experience, Phatsamon was right. Partly we could use an extension gutter to pour the concrete. After that... wheelbarrows again. With this temperatures not a nice experience.
Phatsamon, as well as I, were very tired already. It worked out we got a lot of 'left over' or 'spare' because the company wants to be sure they deliver the amount ordered. So this time 3 times 'left over'. A lot of concrete.
During pouring the concrete of the second truck... again rain. It felt more as a blessing from above.
At a certain moment, after we finished the job and we also finished some 'extra' small jobs (two concrete platforms for the sewage system /septic tanks and an extension of the back site floor of the TED's), I decided to drop the left overs in 'Elephants poo hills' around our place I can cut into pieces to strengthen the dirt road because of a loss of energy.
Afterwards a bit sad because we had enough 'free' leftovers to pour a small entrance road to the house of Phatsamon's mom. Next time.
The rice farmers were drying their harvested rice at the road where the trucks passed. Sitting, drinking Thai whiskey and having a good time.
Every time I went on the scooter to accompany every truck from the provincial road to our site.
The third truck amazed them. Our village soon thinks we are building a huge house (not true) and we have lots of money we can afford three concrete trucks at a time (also not true). Just new energy to feed the village story of us. We love it.
After dinner, in the dark, I leveled the concrete again to make it more easy to do the block laying in about a week. It worked out the foundation already is very strong. No problem for the next thunderstorm to arrive.
Now we go to sleep. I think we will sleep as a baby.
We just discovered Kadhow walked through the just poured concrete behind the TED's. Not possible anymore to get his footprints out. Maybe later a place to remember ;).
Update Wednesday morning November 30 2023/2565:
This morning is curing the concrete over and over again. I will take the formwork of and clean it for the next user as quickly as possible because the temperature is very high and the concrete is in full sun. After that we will put tarpaulins during the daytime for a couple of days after watering the fresh concrete. During the night we take it off so the concrete can breath a bit.
Kadhow and Cupid are relaxing and following all we do.
Frans Captijn
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