Sept 30: Final Slab Pour

The main living area slab is a separate pour because it's thicker (5") than the adjacent slabs (4").  The thicker slab will improve the thermal characteristics, for performance of the passive solar system, plus reduce the occurrence of cracks across the main living area, which is more expansive between control joints than in adjacent spaces.

The crushed gravel surface is re-compacted, on the day before the pour, with a flat plate vibrator in areas where pipes were relocated, as shown in the two photos below.  In the photos,  the recently poured slabs for the Master Bedroom and Guest Bedroom Wings are shown flooded with water to keep them from overheating and drying out in the mid-day sun.

Shown in the two photos below, the concrete truck is on the job site at the crack of dawn ready and waiting to pour while the crew checks the welded wire mesh installed for the sunken Master Bathroom slab for it to be properly keyed into the adjacent slab that was poured the day before. 

By mid-morning the slabs are poured and by mid-day gently curing beneath the protective cover of a cool coating of water, shown in the aerial view.

Below, the slab, foundation, and posts stand like partially submerged ruins of a lost civilization until the SIP walls are raised.