Chad Fisher Construction is rebuilding both Craft Stove and Hansen’s Furniture after an accidental fire destroyed both buildings in 2016. The start to any good structure is its foundation, and that’s certainly the case for these two projects located in west Mount Vernon.
Both buildings sit on what is called a “mat” foundation. Basically, the foundations are very thick concrete slabs. Mat foundations are used to help mitigate potential differential (unequal) settlement due to poor soil condition. They also provide ballast for a building to prevent it from “floating” in the event of a flood, which is a real consideration in the Skagit Valley.
Craft Stove’s mat foundation is 18 inches thick, with a 30-inch thickened edge. This mat foundation consists of approximately 64,000 pounds of rebar and 2.1 million pounds (500 cubic yards) of concrete. In order to place the concrete fast enough to achieve an even finish, two concrete pump trucks were used for the pour. All 56 truckloads were poured in less than five hours.
Hansen’s foundation is a 24-inch-thick mat slab. Workers installed 52.5 tons (105,000 pounds) of rebar over which 1,000 cubic yards of concrete (that’s 4.2 million pounds!) was poured. All 110 truckloads, or 1,000 cubic yards, were poured in less than eight hours using two pump trucks.
Here are some “concrete” examples:
- All together, both jobs used 169,000 pounds of rebar. That’s roughly equivalent in weight to 169 grand pianos.
- The total pour for Craft Stove and Hansen’s Furniture equaled 1,500 cubic yards of concrete, which is equivalent to a 4-inch thick sidewalk 5 feet wide and 4-1/2 miles long.
- 1,500 cubic yards of concrete weighs 6.3 million pounds or 3,150 tons. That’s about the same as 21 blue whales.
- 166 truckloads of concrete is equivalent in volume to enough water to fill 10 20-ft. by 44-ft. swimming pools.
Do you need a general contractor to manage your project? Contact us to learn how we can help.