Pouring the ICF-formed Garage and
Retaining Walls

After watching all those ICF forms go up, it is very exciting to see them poured. It is actually quite hard to imagine it all until you see it up close. Those forms are amazing! And a lot of work! But this is the preferred system when the concrete walls are expected to be taller than 10 ft. See Reward's flat wall iForm™

Yes, there is still such a thing as a MACK truck! Monster trucks like this brought the concrete in multiple loads. A noisy bugger for sure!

Lesley and Bob Manseill, her geneneral contractor, wait for the show to start. They are standing near one of the ICF-formed walls which will soon be filled with concrete.

Bill and his crew are pouring the long retaining wall on the East side of the house as Bob Manseill converses with them. Note the concrete-bearing hose between them.

That long concrete-bearing hose is not only extremely heavy and cumbersome, but it has to come from the MACK truck and reach anywhere within the structure to be poured. Not any easy job in this mountainous terrain!

Lesley tapes the process for posterity, something she will be doing from now one...as you will see.

The guys are still busy pouring...it is tedious, slow, and wildly tiring work from what we can see! (Wheh!)

A view down into one of the ICF-formed walls as concrete is being poured. Note the vertical and horizontal strands of rebar.

The section of wall shown above is the long retaining wall on the East (downhill) side of the house. The top of the wall is level and flat which is achieved by the instrument shown below...do you know what it is called?

A view of the same retaining wall without the support boards attached.

Look at that! A poured wall that is perfectly formed and flat...is Bill Gray good, or what?!

Here is a closer up view. Rebar is set into the top of the poured wall to serve as a way to attach subflooring and then the log walls. Lesley is standing on the East (downhill) side of the garage wall which will be 18 feet tall when the 2x8 section of the garage wall is positioned on top of the poured concrete base.