Pouring Foundations

Now that the old retaining wall is finally out of the way, things are a lot quieter - and the crew is working on the foundations for the new retaining wall. This one will be built on a curve, so the footings have to be curved as well.

Note as well in the photo above the square footing towards the top right corner with a rounded pattern of rebar - that is the support for one of the pillars that will be supporting the third and fourth floors of the addition, where they overhang the two main floors (see building model below).

In the first photo, you'll note that there's a lot of what looks like gravel under the poured concrete - that is called "lean concrete," which has a low concentration of cement and is mostly gravel/sand. They poured quite a bit of this lean concrete to make a very steady foundation. In that hole, they filled up to the blue dashed line around the edge! This is all in an attempt to make the new building and the existing wing that they're tying into more stable.

This is Thanksgiving weekend, and at Grebel, we are thankful for the opportunity of this new building and that our project is back on track (among many other things). The fall colours are really brightening up Southern Ontario this time of year - a bright and warm Thanksgiving to all of you!